Victor Ivanov – Page 192 – Automobiles Review

SsangYong XIV-2 Concept

SsangYong will present the new XIV-2 Convertible concept car at the 82^nd Geneva Motor Show, next month. It is a successor to the XIV-1 concept presented at IAA International Motor Show, Frankfurt 2011.

The XIV-2 is short from eXciting User Interface Vehicle 2. It is interesting and a strategic model for the global market. It boasts nice performance characteristics combined with dynamic style of an open top sports coupe. It also features a one-touch automatic opening soft-top roof.

The dimensions are 4 166mm – length, 1 820mm – width, 1 566mm – height and with a 2 600mm wheelbase. It will be powered by a superb eco-friendly, fuel efficient 1.6 litre diesel and petrol engines meeting Euro VI emission regulations.

Stay tuned for more information about this CUV Concept from SsangYong.

Source: SsangYong

February 13, 2012

B&B Audi A7 3.0 BiTDI Sport – 390 PS and 760 Nm

After the performance packages for the mighty 3.0 TFSI engine in the A7, B&B are ready with some power ups for the super economical 3.0 BiTDI diesel.

The Audi A7 3.0 BiTDI originally produces 313PS and 650Nm, but just with an ECU re-map and slight increase in boost pressure of 0.15 bar, the power is 340PS and 690Nm. The price for Stage I is not low – €1498.

Stage II is priced at €1698 and adds 52PS and 70Nm (overall 365PS and 720Nm), while with some more upgrades like special injection elements, work on intake paths, air ducts and intercooler lead to Stage III – 390PS and 760Nm – €4950.

Furthermore, you can optimize the suspension with a set of sports springs for €398 reducing the ride height by 30 mm. There is also an adjustable coilover suspension – €1498. For Audi A7 models with air suspension is an electronically lowering by 30 mm for €1298.

The B&B sport exhaust system made of solid stainless steel greatly improves the sound (€ 998) and also causes an additional power increase of about 5PS.

For the increased performance corresponding delay, B&B provides a special 6-piston high performance brake system for € 5 995. It gives the Audi A7 drivers always a comforting feeling of superior security.

Exclusive wheels in 19″ / 20″ / 21″ complete the exterior of the sport-Audi.

Source: B&B

February 7, 2012

2012 Fiat Panda – Price £8900 OTR

2012 Fiat Panda - Side Angle Fiat has announced the price list for the new 2012 5-door Panda. It starts at just £8900 OTR as the price goes up to £12 250 for the top-of-range Fiat Panda Lounge 1.3 Multijet 75PS that includes air conditioning, roof rails, Start&Stop and alloy wheels as standard.

The engine range includes 69PS 1.2-litre petrol, 85PS 0.9-litre TwinAir, and 75PS 1.3-litre MultiJet 2 turbodiesel, the new Fiat Panda can be ordered in three different trim levels – Pop, Easy and Lounge.

Standard equipment in the entry level Pop includes electric windows, central locking, Dualdrive electric power steering, four airbags and body colour bumpers. The extensive options list includes ESP, roof rails and black pastel paint.

Easy trim versions add remote central locking, air conditioning, roof rails and a higher grade audio system, while Lounge additionally receives heated electric mirrors, 15” alloy wheels, front fog lamps, body coloured mirrors and door handles, and side mouldings.

Safety is of course top of the agenda with up to six airbags, double seatbelt pretensioners, an active anti-whiplash head restraint system, and available ESP. In addition, a new Low Speed Collision Mitigation system will become available for the first time. This uses a laser sensor on the windscreen to scan a space a short distance in front of the vehicle to determine the risk of a collision. It is capable of automatically activating emergency braking at speeds less than 30km/h (18.6mph).

A vast list of available options will allow customers to specify a car to suit their own needs and, with a huge choice of 10 exterior colours and six interior/dashboard combinations, everyone will be able to create their own special Panda.

“I’m delighted that we remain highly competitive against our key rivals in this small car sector,” says Elena Bernardelli, marketing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. “We are particularly good value when you take into consideration the levels of equipment offered in standard specification across the range.”

OTR pricing:

Model	Basic Price (£)	Total OTR (£)
POP 1.2 8v 69 CV	6996.62	8900.00
POP 1.3 MULTIJET 75 CV	8829.95	11,100.00
EASY 0.9 TWINAIR 85 CV	8538.28	10,750.00
EASY 0.9 TWINAIR 85 CV DUALOGIC	9163.28	11,500.00
EASY 1.2 8V 69 CV	7538.28	9550.00
EASY 1.3 MULTIJET 75 CV	9371.62	11,750.00
LOUNGE 0.9 TWINAIR 85 CV	8954.95	11,250.00
LOUNGE 0.9 TWINAIR 85 CV DUALOGIC	9579.95	12,000.00
LOUNGE 1.2 8V 69 CV	7954.95	10,050.00
LOUNGE 1.3 MULTIJET 75 CV	9788.28	12,250.00

Source: Fiat

February 7, 2012

2012 Suzuki Alto Play Special Edition

Suzuki has announced the Alto Play Special Edition. It hits the market this week and with around 500 units being available.

The Special Edition Alto is based on the SZ3 trim level including air conditioning, pollen filter and side airbags as standard equipment. It adds a lot of value with a higher specification including front fog lamps and various exterior and interior upgrades. Among them, there are Oyster Blue metallic paint finish; unique blue seat fabric, silver accent on the front bumper and body coloured door handles and mirrors.

The price starts at just £7 595 including metallic paint. A flexible and very low deposit Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) is also available for customers wishing to purchase via Suzuki Financial Services.

Alto is one of the least polluting five-door City cars on the market with tailpipe emissions of 103g/km as well as offering 64.2mpg on the EC combined cycle. Cost of ownership is also very low with an annual VED charge of £20 and insurance group 4E classification. Alto is also one of the most manoeuvrable City cars in its class with a tight turning circle of just 9.0 metres.

Source: Suzuki

February 6, 2012

Honda NSX Concept

Honda NSX is the super sports car of the manufacturer and it has been produced for 15 years, from 1990 to 2005. It had a mid-engine, RWD layout. The engine was V-TEC all-aluminium V6 with superb power and torque.

Now however, Honda has announced the new NSX Concept vehicle, which will be on display at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. It continues the line of the original conception – a V6 mid-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. There will be also a number of technologies in the new NSX like the innovative Sport Hybrid SH-AWD® (Super Handling All Wheel Drive™) hybrid system.

The NSX Concept looks fantastic and hopefully, it will hit the world market in the next three years.

The Honda Press Conference will take place at 09.15 on Tuesday 6 March.

Source: Honda

February 6, 2012

2012 Seat Mii 5-door

Seat has revealed a five-door version of Mii super-compact city car. The additional rear doors turn Mii into a unique combination of exceptional driving fun, sporty design and outstanding functionality.
Mii Ecomotive
Thanks to a Start/Stop system, brake energy recovery and other measures to improve fuel economy,

The Mii Ecomotive 1.0 liter three-cylinder with 60PS achieves 4.1 liters / 100 km with 96 g/km, while the more powerful 75PS is “more” thirsty – 4.2 liters per 100 km with 98 g/km CO2. The top speed is 160 km/h and 171 km/h respectively.

“The new Mii has enjoyed a terrific start. Customer response in Spain is outstanding and we are now bringing the entire line-up to the other European markets – complete with the three-door, five-door and Ecomotive versions.”, commented James Muir, President of SEAT, S.A.

“With its distinctive SEAT identity, its youthful design and its high quality standards, the five-door i in particular is set to capture a significant share of the sub-compact segment. This makes the Mii an important factor in our corporate strategy. The Mii marks the start of the most extensive model offensive ever undertaken by SEAT.”, he added.

With a volume of 251 litres the Mii also boasts one of the largest luggage compartments in its class, expanding to an impressive 951 litres with folded rear seat.

The Mii is also a leader when it comes to innovative technologies. City Safety Assist delivers important added protection in town. Simply put, when a risk arises in city traffic the Mii brakes automatically to prevent a possible impact.

Full details and pricing will be announced soon.

Source: Seat

February 6, 2012

Nissan INVITATION Concept

The Invitation Concept is one of the latest projects of Nissan. The dynamic concept will be unveiled at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show. It shows some of the innovation and excitement promised for the new model, which is due to be launched in the UK from 2013.

The INVITATION has interesting and energetic design with nice fresh style. The clean fluidity of the silhouette hints at its dynamic potential and showcases class-leading aerodynamics for enhanced efficiency. The interior combines practicality and modernity with impressive levels of quality and purposeful technology features.

Nissan is aiming for an ultra-low CO₂ emission target of under 100g/km for the most frugal model and with all versions eligible to wear Nissan’s Pure Drive badge.

At the same time, responsive agile handling will ensure that when it comes to driving dynamics, INVITATION will compete with the top performers in the segment.

But INVITATION is more than just a great looking car that’s fun and frugal to drive. The concept packs some of the most advanced technology ever seen in the B-segment, all of which is designed to ensure the car is as safe as possible.

Among the features is Nissan’s advanced Around View Monitor (AVM) safety technology – seen for the first time on a B-segment car – which makes reversing and parallel parking as stress-free as possible. In addition, INVITATION also incorporates the Nissan Safety Shield Technologies, which interacts with the driving environment keeping the driver aware of what is happening around the car.

INVITATION’s combination of exterior, interior, advanced safety features and class-leading emissions, fuel economy and dynamic performance demonstrates Nissan’s commitment to offering innovation and excitement to all car buyers, no matter what type of car they are looking to buy.

Source: Nissan

February 6, 2012

Kia Track’ster Concept [first image]

Kia Trackster Concept Kia has released first image (teaser) of the new Track’ster Concept car, which will make its official debut at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. The vehicle is created by California Design Studio.

The concept car boasts LED taillights and aggressive dual exhaust system.

There are no further details about the car or its engine, but probably it will share the Veloster’s 1.6 liter turbocharged petrol with 211PS (155 kW) and 265Nm (196 lb-ft).

Full details and additional photography will be released on Wednesday 8th February. A design sketch was released on Thursday 2nd February.

Source: Kia

February 6, 2012

BMW – Dynamic Stability Control

The DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) is BMW’s electronic stability control system. It controls the suspension with the help of three other single programs – ABS (Anti-lock Brake System), ASC + T (Automatic Stability Control + Traction) and CBC (Cornering Break Control).

The system was firstly introduced back in 1997 offered on BMW 740i/L and 750i/L. Nowadays, all BMWs come with DSC III as standard including DTC (Dynamic Traction Control). The DTC allows more wheel slip meaning a more dynamic driving style with higher wheel traction including DSC controlling stability. In other words, the DTC will allow you to drive more aggressively without suiciding yourself.

The DSC system is very complex and interesting. It constantly checks vehicle speed, steering angle, wheel rotation, lateral and transverse acceleration, brake pressure and yaw to register imminent instability when cornering, especially on slippery conditions like snow and rain. When instability moment is registered, the DSC intervenes via the engine management system. It reduces drive torque and activates each wheel brake individually to keep the car stable. Everything this happens within milliseconds, so do not think you don’t need this system.

So, the DSC uses ASC+T to cut the engine power and, if this is insufficient to maintain traction, it also uses ABS to apply braking power wherever it is needed.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncE-Vk7egRo

The DSC uses a lot of sensors to work properly. First, it monitors the steering angle sensor to detect the driver’s chosen path. After that it uses lateral- acceleration to define the forces, which must be transmitted to the road by the tires. The rate-of-turn sensor defines the car’s degree of rotary movement and the brake-pressure sensor define the longitudinal forces acting between tires and road surface under braking.

If something went wrong while driving and the car begin to oversteer or to understeer, the DSC can counter the situation by applying brakes. All electronic and hydraulic systems are very rapid and precise, so the driver can hardly feel them.

While ASC + T analyzes the longitudinal forces occurring in straight-ahead operation, DSC additionally registers and analyses lateral dynamic forces.

When cornering at high speeds, DSC counters unstable vehicle states such as oversteering or understeering

The DSC feature can provide maximum stability when cornering.

With DSC there is a significant reduction in the risk of skidding.

The DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) is a sub-function of the DSC system. Besides offering sports-style driving, it provides a small amount of wheel spin improving traction, especially on deep snow, slush or loose terrain. In some occasions more slip generates better better traction and more thrust.

The DTC alloys sports-style driving and even permits controlled drifts. Still, the driver retains complete control over the vehicle in every situation and the Dynamic Stability Control’s stabilising measures remain active even when the DTC is activated.

When you start the car and you are in normal driving mode, the DSC is active. One short push on the DSC button: the DTC is enabled and DSC restricted. One long push on the DSC button: DSC and DTC off.

So, we strongly do not recommend turning the Dynamic Traction Control off, because it is very dangerous.

February 4, 2012

2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI US

2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI will be revealed at this year’s Chicago Auto Show.

The new diesel powered Beetle does not have any exterior modifications except “TDI” badge, some more chrome and 17” alloys. Inside, there is a new instrument cluster with a stopwatch, oil temperature and turbo boost gauges.

The model line-up includes three trim levels: TDI, TDI with Sunroof and TDI with Sunroof, Sound, and Navigation. Standard equipment includes power windows, cruise control, V-Tex Leatherette seating, the kaeferfach secondary glovebox, Bluetooth®, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel with audio controls, three auxiliary gauges, Keyless entry with push-button start, and a Media Device Interface with iPod® cable.

The base TDI has 17” alloy wheels, and an interior and exterior chrome package. The standard RCD310 audio system has an AM/FM radio, CD player, Bluetooth®, and eight speakers.

TDI with Sunroof adds a panoramic tilt/slide sunroof that is fully 80 percent larger than the one fitted to the New Beetle. The model’s Premium VIII audio system has a full-color touchscreen display, a six-disc CD changer, and an SD card reader.

TDI with Sunroof, Sound and Navigation is the top-of-range model. It has the RNS 315 NAV system with a 5” touchscreen display. The Fender® Premium audio system that offers concert quality sound is also standard. This has an additional subwoofer, proprietary Panasonic® speaker technology that covers the cabin with directional sound, and 400 watts of output power.

2013 Beetle TDI is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel engine with 140 PS (103 kW) and 320Nm (236 lb-ft). It is available with a choice of 6-speed manual or dual-clutch DSG transmissions.

The 2013 Beetle TDI will hit the US market this summer.

Source: Volkswagen

February 3, 2012

edo Competition Porsche Panamera Turbo S

Edo Competition has announced their tuning package for the most powerful Panamera – the Turbo S model. The brutal GT car accelerates to 100 km/h in the blink of an eye – 3.5 seconds.

The performance package boosts the mighty 4.8 twin-turbocharged V8 to whopping 700PS and 880Nm of torque. This is an increase of 150PS and 130Nm. The top speed of edo Turbo S is 340 km/h (211 mph), but still if is way far behind G-Power Hurricane RS. The package includes high flow air filters and catalytic converters, a pair of new turbochargers and exhaust manifolds. There is also a stainless steel high performance exhaust system featuring butterfly valves. Of course, everything is perfectly tuned on dyno.

The stance of the vehicle is improved by installing edo body lowering module and a set of new 22” sport wheels with 265/30 ZR22 (front) and 305/25 ZR22 (rear) tires. The wheels can be custom-painted even in carbon fiber look.

Finally, the interior is also touched with the finest leather, paired with other high-quality materials replacing the factory trim.

edo Competition Porsche Panamera Turbo S

Specifications:

Engine
Twin-turbo V8
Capacity 700 hp / (515 kW) at 6,500 rpm
Max. torque 880 Nm at 2,500-5,200 rpm

Specifications
Top speed ca. 340 km/h (electrically restricted)
0 – 100 km/h (0 – 62 mph) in 3,5 s

Power
Power increase to different variations including:
ECU recalibration, high flow air filters and catalytic converters, new turbochargers and exhaust manifolds, as well as a stainless steel high performance exhaust system featuring butterfly valves. All modifications are tested and tuned on a dynamometer.
700 PS/865 NM – duration: 4 weeks, only at edo competition

Increased Performance

Power increase to 700 PS/865 NM
ECU recalibration
high flow air filters and catalytic converters
new turbochargers and exhaust manifolds
as well as a stainless steel high performance exhaust system featuring butterfly valves
All modifications are tested and tuned on a dynamometer.

Exhaust System

A stainless steel high performance exhaust system featuring butterfly valves
The sound level of the high performance exhaust can be adjusted via remote control
Two settings (Super Sound and Stock) are available at the push of a button

Wheel-/ Tirecombination

22” sport wheels
Three-piece with forged center, hand-polished stainless steel outer rim, 39 stainless steel bolts
Tire dimensions: 265/ 30 ZR 22 (front), 305/ 25 ZR 22 (rear), Continental tires
Wheels can be custom-painted on request. For example: Carbon fiber look.

Chassis

edo body lowering module, height adjustable

Source: edo Competition

February 3, 2012

KW Variant 3+ & Clubsport for 2011 Audi RS3 Sportback

KW has introduced Variant 3+ and Clubsport kit for the hottest hatchback on the market – 2012 Audi RS3.

The Variant 3+ coilover kit is specially created to improve the handling without sacrificing the ride quality. The kit has 16 levels of damping adjustment as well as height adjustment between 5-35mm at the front and 0-25mm at the rear.

The Clubsport kit is available in both 2-way and 3-way adjustment. It is specially prepared for using on the tracks using racing springs and high-performance dampers. What is more, KW’s Clubsport coilovers are fine tuned on the Nurburgring for maximum performance. Each damper system features a separate expansion tank to allow independent adjustment of compression in both high-speed (14 levels) and low-speed (6 levels) driving. The KW Clubsport 2-way and 3-way is also height adjustable by 5-35mm at the front and 0-25mm at the rear.

Additionally, the KW 3-way Clubsport Suspension comes supplied with preassembled aluminium uniball strut mounts which are also adjustable and which allow optimum fine-tuning for various sports tires and tracks.

Despite its immense circuit ability, KW’s Clubsport coilover remains TÜV approved allowing the RS3 to be driven to and from circuits with ease.

Source: KW

February 3, 2012

Author: Victor Ivanov