Victor Ivanov – Page 179 – Automobiles Review

Cadillac CTS-V – Best Performance Car

Cadillac CTS-V was selected by About.com readers over other finalists including the Ford Mustang Boss 302, Chevrolet Corvette, BMW M3 and Lotus Evora.

The family car is powered by a brutal 6.2 liter supercharged V8 with 564PS (415kW) and 747Nm (551 lb-ft). 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds and top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) – electronically limited.

The standard equipment includes heated, leather-appointed seats, in-dash navigation system with 40 GB hard drive, Xenon HID headlamps with adaptive forward lighting, Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround audio system, Cadillac Premium Care Maintenance Service for four years / 50,000 miles.

The option list features $3 400 Recaro heated and ventilated, high-performance driver and front-passenger seats, $800 19-inch, polished aluminum wheels, $600 midnight Sapele Wood trim package, $300 Suede steering wheel and shifter.

“It’s no surprise to me that readers chose the CTS-V — its blend of outlandish power, precise handling, and breathtaking styling, especially in coupe form, make it one of the best performance cars in General Motors history,” said Aaron Gold, Guide to Cars, About.com.

Source: GMC

March 30, 2012

2012 GMC Yukon and Sierra Heritage Edition

GMC has announced the 2012 Yukon, Yukon XL and Sierra Heritage Editions, which will debut at the New York Auto Show.

2012 Heritage Editions will be offered on Sierra 1500 Crew Cab, Yukon and Yukon XL models in SLT trim. Three colors will be available – a new, exclusive Heritage Blue ($195), White Diamond ($995) or Onyx Black (no additional cost). Interior colors for the Yukon are Ebony and Light Tan.

“The GMC brand always looks forward, but this day provides an opportunity to celebrate 100 years of the proud GMC name,” commented Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of GMC Marketing.

“Sierra and Yukon are two of our longest-running and most-respected nameplates, so it makes sense to use them to represent our heritage.”, he added.

Each Heritage Edition model offers its own differentiating content. The Sierra Heritage Edition full-size pickup includes:

Unique “Heritage Edition” exterior badges
Embroidered front floor mats
Embroidered front headrests
Chrome door handles, mirror caps and door moldings
20-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels
Convenience package with rear park assist, adjustable pedals, Universal Home Remote, EZ-Lift locking tailgate and rear wheelhouse liners
Rear-vision camera

The Yukon and Yukon XL full-size SUVs are equipped with:

Unique “Heritage Edition” exterior badges
Embroidered front floor mats
Embroidered front headrests
SLT-2 Equipment Package with 10-way leather memory seats, headed second-row seats with power release, power-operated liftgate and heated side mirrors
Additional content – including 20-inch wheels – is optional

For Sierra, the Heritage Edition package adds $2,645. The Yukon and Yukon XL package adds $1,970 to the suggested retail price, or $1,820 for the Yukon XL ¾-ton model. The charges for premium paint colors listed above are in addition to the package prices.

GMC was formed in 1912 when the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company merged with two others – Reliance and Randolph – to become the brand known today for trucks, crossovers and SUVs. GMC is the second largest of the four General Motors brands. If it were a stand-alone manufacturer, it would be the 10th-largest automaker in the United States in terms of total vehicle sales in 2011.

Source: GMC

March 30, 2012

2012 Suzuki Swift Attitude Special Edition

Suzuki has announced another special edition vehicle. This time, the Swift Attitude will be available in the UK and just 500 units will be built. 5-door and 3-door variants will be produced. The small city car is aimed at younger buyers, who seek the thrill of driving at decent price.

Swift Attitude is based on the 1.2-litre SZ3 model but with more sporty and aggressive styling. The 1.2-litre Dual VVT 94PS engine is one of the most powerful in its class but offers low emissions of just 116g/km, 56.5mpg on the combined cycle and only £30 in Annual VED charges.

The SZ3 grade comes with 7 airbags, ESP, air conditioning and USB port as standard but offers increased specification with front fog lamps and rear privacy glass together with an enhanced sporty appearance consisting of Carbon fibre effect roof and door mirrors, rear upper spoiler in body colour, Carbon fibre effect ‘Attitude’ badging and 16-inch wheels in black paint finish.

With an insurance group rating of 9E, Attitude is ideal for younger Swift fans to own a bespoke and sporty looking car at an affordable purchase price together with low costs of ownership.

For customers looking for a PCP (Personal Contract purchase), Suzuki Financial Services are offering Swift Attitude for a deposit of just £1,500 followed by 43 monthly payments of £179 and a final payment at the end of the agreement to keep the car.

Swift Attitude is available in Superior White only and competitively priced at £10 750 for 3-door and £11 220 for the 5-door model.

2012 Suzuki Swift Attitude Special Edition

Source: Suzuki

March 30, 2012

2012 Toyota GT86 – Price £24 995

Toyota UK has priced the new GT86 sports coupe – £24 995 for the manual version and the automatic is £26 495. The car is already available to order and the first deliveries will be in July, this year. There are no trim levels and no engine choices.

2012 Toyota GT86 is powered by a front-mounted 2.0 liter boxer engine delivering all power to the rear wheels. It also features a rear spoiler, 17” light alloy wheels, chrome-finished dual exhaust tailpipes and a signature “T”-mesh grille. That T motif is repeated in the shape of the rear foglight, set centrally between the tailpipes.

A LSD (limited-slip-differential) is mounted as standard giving the GT86 unique driving pleasure.

Among the standard equipment you’ll find: bi-xenon high intensity discharge headlights, LED daytime running lights, front fog lamps and electric folding door mirrors with housings matched to the car’s body colour.

The customers can’t choose between trim levels and engines, but there are seven exterior colors – Dark Red, Silver metallic, Black metallic, Blue metallic, Dark Red metallic, Orange metallic and Pearl pearlescent. Optional side, roof and bonnet decals are available in black or silver to add an extra dimension to GT86’s sporting appearance.

The 2+2 seater boasts front sports seats, aluminium pedals and contrasting red stitching around the black leather trimmed steering wheel, gear knob and parking brake. Black cloth upholstery is standard, but customers have the option of black leather and Alcantara, or black leather with red Alcantara and additional red leather styling details on the door grips, steering wheel, gear knob and parking brake. Both of these options also include heaters for the front seats.

The extras feature an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, cruise control, hill-start assist, scuff plates and the Toyota Touch touchscreen control system for controlling the six-speaker audio system, with Bluetooth for phone connection and music streaming, and a USB port.

As an option, the system can be upgraded to Toyota Touch and Go, with satellite navigation and advanced functions such as speed and safety camera warnings, on-board connection to Google Local Search and (via subscription) connected services providing data such as live parking and fuel price information and local weather forecasts.

Active safety provisions include a switchable VSC stability control system, which can be adjusted through three driving modes to suit driver preference, and a torque-sensing limited slip differential. Seven airbags are provided, including a driver’s knee airbag.

The 6-speed automatic transmission available for GT86’s includes paddle shifts to give the driver the option of making manual gear changes.

Check out the price list below.

Source: Toyota

March 30, 2012

2012 Infiniti M35h – CO2 below 160g/km

2012 Infiniti M35h is one of the most economical luxury saloon on the market. Furthermore, it makes no harm to the environment with the CO2 emissions of just 159 g/km. Other benefit is for the pocket of the owner. The change brings the hybrid sedan’s CO2 under a widely-used tax threshold – and joins with the model’s pace-setting speed and fuel economy to present an even more compelling proposition to company fleets across Europe.

Key enhancements to electric motor accuracy and battery charging allow the Infiniti M35h to rely more on silent electric power when starting off from cold, bringing benefits that go beyond lower running costs.

Infiniti M35h has overall power of whopping 364PS (268 kW) and needs just 6.9 liters per 100 km on combined cycle. The highway consumption is 5.6 liters per 100 km and the urban – 9.0 l/100 km. Very interesting fuel economy for a car with more than 350HP. 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) – electronically limited.

“The Infiniti M35h is already popular with companies seeking a luxury sedan with no compromise on performance or fuel consumption,” commented Guillaume Pelletreau,
Commercial Director of Infiniti in Europe.

“Now with no-compromise on running costs, the 2012 M35h offers corporate buyers a car as enticing as it is sensible – a combination we think they will approve of.” , he added.

The innovative Infiniti’s fuel consumption in everyday driving has similarly been independently verified. In an economy test in the UK in 2011, the M35h returned an overall 6.49 l/100km – 6% better than its combined figure – while all other hybrids taking part failed to match their official ratings, some by as much as 18%. Impressively, the Infiniti M35h cruised silently on electric power for almost half the 596km test distance.

Source: Infiniti

March 30, 2012

Romeo Ferraris Ferrari 599 GTO

Romeo Ferraris has unveiled their tuning program for the superfast gran turismo car – Ferrari 599 GTO. It comes with performance modifications and some minor styling changes.The 6.0 liter naturally aspirated V12 is boosted to 685PS (504 kW) and 633Nm (467 lb-ft), which is an increase of just 15PS and 13Nm. The result is thanks to two upgrades – a high-flow air filter and a different exhaust system.However, the mighty engine can produce up to 710PS (522 kW) and 668Nm (493 lb-ft) after an ECU re-map to make sure that the new hardware upgrades work just fine. This is better increase of 40PS and 48Nm, which the owners should feel.The styling changes include some carbon fiber elements like mirror covers, a front add-on splitter for the bumper and a sporty rear diffuser. All parts are tested, so they won’t spoil the aerodynamics of the 599 GTO.

Source: Omniauto.it

March 30, 2012

BMW 1M on 20″ Vossen VVS-CV3 Concave Wheels [HD video]

Vossen Wheels equipped the BMW 1-Series ///M with enormous VVS-CV3 concave wheels in dimensions 9J x 20” at the front and 10.5J x 20” at the rear. The rims are finished in nice matte silver machined paint and according to our opinion looks SICK!

Do not bother about the small 1-Series rolling those enormous wheels, because under the hood there is a mighty twin-turbo 3.0 liter inline six-cylinder with 340PS (250 kW) and 500Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque connected to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Rumors said, that the 1-Series ///M is faster around race tracks than the brutal M3 with V8 under the hood.

The 1-Series ///M is just 1495 kg (3295 lbs). 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and 0-200 km/h in 17.3 seconds. Top speed – 250 km/h (155 mph) and fuel consumption – 9.6 liter/100 km with CO2 emission of 224 g/km.

BMW 1-Series M Coupe comes with DSC, ABS, ASC, DBC and CBC. The breaking system is just staggering – internally-ventilated cast iron discs – that measure 360mm front and 350mm rear.

The price is €50 500.

Enjoy the video.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw6NjIjq2C8

Vossen BMW 1 ///M

Source: VossenWheels via Youtube

March 29, 2012

2013 Subaru Legacy and Outback to Debut at the 2012 New York International Auto Show

Subaru has announced that the new 2013 Outback and Legacy models will make their official debut at the 2012 New York Auto Show.

The 2013 models come with new Boxer engine with higher power and better efficiency, up to 30 mpg highway with standard Symmetrical AWD, redesigned front, better ride, new convenience and audio features and available EyeSight^TM driver-assist system featuring – Pre-Collision Braking, System Capable of Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure and Sway Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control.

The new 2.5 liter Boxer engine has 175PS (129 kW) and 236Nm (174 lb-ft). It is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or a Lineartronic CVT. It will achieve 24 mpg in city/30 mpg on highway and 26 mpg combined cycle.

There is also a mighty 3.6 liter Boxer with 260PS (191 kW).

There are three trim levels – base, Premium, and Limited.

The base includes standard steering wheel cruise control and audio switches; a 60/40 split fold-down rear seat with recline feature; electronic parking brake with Hill Holder System; and an automatic headlight function. The standard audio system in the 2.5i model is upgraded for 2013 to now include Bluetooth® hands-free phone capability, audio streaming, iPod® control capability, and a USB charging port. The system continues with an AM/FM stereo, single disc CD player, Radio Data Broadcast System (RDBS), 3.5mm aux. input jack, and 4 speakers.

Outback Premium models add a 10-way power driver’s seat; leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter; body-colored side mirrors; 17” alloy wheels (all 3.6R trim lines have 17-in. alloy wheels as standard); and other amenities.

The Limited trim lines add to the Premium perforated leather upholstery; dual zone automatic climate control; the All-Weather Package that includes heated front seats and mirrors, and a windshield wiper de-icer (package optional for Premium); the harman/kardon Premium Audio Package (optional for Premium) with a 4.3-in. color display, 440-watt amplifier, nine harman/kardon premium speakers, and standard XM Satellite Radio® service (four-month free trial subscription included); rear A/C duct, electro-luminescent gauges, and a 4-way power front passenger seat. The Limited models also exclusively offer an available voice-activated GPS navigation system with a seven-in. LCD display, rear vision camera and XM NavTraffic® (with a four-month free trial subscription included), and an SD card slot for convenient navigation map updates, among other features.

The Legacy 2.5GT model is discontinued for 2013.

Source: Subaru

March 29, 2012

2012 Renault Grand Kangoo 7-seat Van – Price €20 750

The new 2012 Grand Kangoo 7-Seat Van was revealed by Renault for the French market. It will be available to order from the beginning of the next month. The car is entirely oriented to give maximum comfort and satisfying for passengers.

It will boost the range alongside the angoo Express Maxi Crew and Z.E. variants, which are mainly trimmed for light commercial purposes aimed at businesses.

Renault Grand Kangoo offers 7 seats, which can be folded separately to ensure maximum versatility. The vehicle is designed for big families, who like to travel together at long trips.

The Grand Kangoo is powered by the famous 1.5 liter dCi diesel engine with two outputs – 90HP or 110HP. It offers good dynamics and low fuel consumption, so you will not stop frequently to fill up the tank.

The new Grand Kangoo will be also produced at Renault’s MCA plant in Maubeuge, France as well as the other models from the range.

Check out the price list below.

Version	Authentique		Privilège
Engine	dCi 90	dCi 110	dCi 90	dCi 110
CO₂ emissions (g/km)	135	144	135	144
Combined cycle fuel consumption (litres/100km)	5.1	5.5	5.1	5.5
Tax-paid price	20,750	21,450	22,550	23,250

Source: Renault

March 29, 2012

McLaren MP4-12C GT3 in 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship

The new McLaren MP4-12C GT3 is ready for race debut in 2012, following an intensive development programme in 2011. The competitive race season begins for new McLaren GT customer teams in Germany on 31 March, with the opening rounds of the VLN and ADAC GT Masters championships at the Nürburgring Nordschliefe and Oschersleben respectively.

The MP4-12C sports car, on which the GT3 racer is based, will also make its debut as a safety car in the FIA GT1 World Championship race at the Nogaro circuit in France on 8-9 April.

The McLaren race cars will wear the unique liveries of ART, ASM, Boutsen Energy, Gulf Racing, Molitor Racing, United Autosports and Von Ryan Racing. The JAS team will also take part in selected rounds of the championship. Footage of the new 12C GT3s at the test event in southern France can be seen at “mclarenautomotivetv channel” vai Youtube.

Gemballa Racing and Doerr Motorsport will compete in the 12C GT3 in the German VLN series, which includes the famous 24 Hour Nürburgring endurance race in May.

Molitor Racing and Gemballa Racing will run in ADAC GT Masters, and French FIA GT1 Champions Hexis Racing will line up on the grid of the FIA GT1 World Championship. Series Champions Apex Motorsport will enter a new 12C GT3 in selected rounds of this year’s British GT championship, while the Lapidus Racing team will contest the International GT Open series, and also compete in forthcoming 24-hour races at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.

Teams racing the 12C GT3 in 2012 have enlisted the services of highly successful racing drivers for the 2012 season. Former Formula 1 drivers Mark Blundell and David Brabham (also a Le Mans 24hr winning driver) will race for United Autosports and 2011 Formula 2 competitor Jack Clarke will drive for Boutsen Energy. Rob Bell, Alvaro Parente and Alexander Sims, who recently joined the McLaren GT driver line-up for 2012, will be placed with customer teams, while McLaren Automotive Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin will also contest selected races in a 12C GT3 throughout the season.

“I’m excited that we are so close to seeing the 12C GT3 in its first full race season. The feedback I have received from customers that have already taken delivery of the car is very positive.”, commented Andrew Kirkaldy, Project Manager for McLaren GT.

“The 2011 development programme was challenging, but had many highlights. We started with a pole position in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps in the British GT Championship, and ended the race season with a third place finish in Macau. In one year, McLaren GT has taken the 12C GT3 from concept to race readiness. We will learn more about the car in the early part of the season – and expectations will naturally be high of a car full of Formula 1 technology – but our objective is to makes the 12C GT3 as much a pleasure to own and run as it is race.” , he added.

The 12C GT3 shares the same V8 twin turbo engine and carbon ‘MonoCell’ chassis as its road car sibling, and its aerodynamic package was developed by McLaren GT in partnership with specialist engineers and designers at McLaren Automotive.

Source: McLaren

March 29, 2012

2012 Twingo Renaultsport 133 – Price £13 565

Renault has priced the new Twingo Renaultsport 133. It is now available from £13 565 OTR coming with restyled exterior, new interior and a lot of standard extras.

The exterior of 2012 Twingo Renaultsport 133 features a new dynamic grille design with four lights and a front bumper incorporating an F1-style blade. At the rear, the model boasts a black rear spoiler, a special rear bumper incorporating a diffuser and aerodynamic extensions on the rear wheel arches.

The interior comes with Renaultsport yellow stitching on the steering wheel and seats, together with white detailing for the top of the steering wheel, seat backs and cushions, rev-counter surround and air conditioning controls.

The standard equipment includes 16” alloy wheels, Bluetooth™, cruise control, electric Gloss Black door mirrors, ESC (with on/off switch), speed limiter, extra tinted windows and tailgate, Renaultsport exhaust with chrome tailpipe, plus Twingo’s versatile independent sliding and folding rear seats.

The options list is also huge:

17” Anthracite or Gloss Black alloy wheels – £500,

curtain airbags – £250,

metallic paint – £460

Renaultsport Liquid Yellow i.d. paint – £1,300 (from end May 2012).

Renaultsport Monitor telemetry system – £125.

Anthracite Style – for the front blade, door mirrors covers and rear spoiler – £150

Cup chassis – £700

Twingo Renaultsport 133 is powered by a 1.6 liter naturally-aspirated powerplant with 133HP (98 kW) at 6750RPM and 160Nm (118 lb-ft) at 4400RPM. 0-100 km/h in 8.7 seconds and a top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph).The revised Twingo Renaultsport 133 boasts CO₂ emissions of 150g/km, a saving of 3.2% compared to its predecessor and improved fuel consumption of 43.5 mpg combined cycle, up 3%.

Source: Renault

March 29, 2012

BMW 1-Series M135i [spy photo]

A production ready BMW 1-Series M135i 5-door hatchback was spied by BimmerToday.de. The painted in Estoril Blau car sits calm in a parking lot in Germany and doesn’t reveal any of its brutal characteristics.The performance vehicle was firstly introduced as the M135i Concept at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. The F20 135i M Performance comes with a sport-tuned suspension, a M-sport brake system, a set of Shadow Line 18” M light alloys with a double spoke design.Of course, the car comes with complete ///M-package consisting of an aggressive front bumper, modified side skirts and restyled rear bumper housing the single round chrome tailpipes at each end of it.The M135i is powered by the famous 3.0 liter straight-six N55 petrol engine featuring twin-scroll turbocharger. The exact figures are not mentioned, but probably it will have 306HP (225 kW) and 400Nm (295 lb-ft).Stay tuned for more information.

Source: bimmertoday.de

March 28, 2012

Author: Victor Ivanov