Author: Victor Ivanov

  • 2014 Citroen c-Quatre VTS for China

    Citroen has announced 2014 c–Quatre VTS for China. Essentially, this is a sport version of the Citroen C4. It is available exclusively as a saloon model and is based on the the first generation of the model.The exterior boasts an aggressive body kit including new front and rear bumper skirts as well as a new diffuser housing quad sport exhausts system. There are also new vents on the front hood providing cool air for the 2.0 liter four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine with 150HP (110 kW). Last, but not least is the big rear wing generating more downforce and improving the traction.Other highlights include red racing stripes and big alloy wheels fitted with low-profile tires. The price of 2014 Citroen c-Quatre VTS starts at ¥113,800 (around $18,300) and goes up to ¥135,800 ($22,000).Citroen will also exhibit the all-new DS5 LS-R Concept at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show starting later, this month.The DS5 LS-R Concept has an all-new 1.6 liter turbocharged petrol engine – 300HP (224 kW) and 400Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. 0-100 km/h in 6.0 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) – electronically limited. The engine is connected to a sequential gearbox featuring steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

  • Volkswagen Golf VII GTI – AP Coilovers

    AP Sportfahrwerke has unveiled their latest project based on Volkswagen Golf VII GTI. The hot hatchback has received a completely new suspension including front and rear coilovers.

    The ride height can be adjusted according to owners taste as well as the stiffness.  Pricing is available upon request.

    The Golf VII GTI is powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged petrol with 220HP (162 kW) and 350Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque. It is connected to a 6-speed manual gearbox. 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 246 km/h (153 mph). There is also GTI Performance package boosting the engine with 10HP more. In this case, it will do 0-100 km/h in 6.4 seconds and 250 km/h (155 mph).

    Standard equipment of the new Golf VII GTI includes dual-zone climate control, sporty seats with Jacara cloth upholstery, sports steering wheel, black roof lining, red ambience lightning, stainless steel pedal caps, bespoke instrument cluster and gear lever, along with a touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, iPod and DAB digital radio connectivity.

    Options list is long, but the most important are 19” Santiago alloy wheels, Vienna leather upholstery, and touchscreen satellite navigation with 10-channel amplifier and 8 speakers.

    Source: AP Tuning

  • New Kia Models for 2014

    Kia has announced four new high-spec models, which will satisfy the demands of customers seeking even greater luxury. The new models will also help Kia to maintain its phenomenal record-breaking sales growth in the UK.   The new models include Sorento KX-4, Picanto “4” and Rio “4” as well as the pro Ceed SE Tech.

    2014 Kia Sorento KX4 comes with standard 2.2 litre CRDi turbodiesel engine. There is also Parallel Park Assist, memory seat function on the driver’s seat, 19” alloy wheels, rear side door sunshade blinds and a silver front mesh grille and chrome surround add identifiable touches to the Sorento’s road presence.  The Sorento KX-4 is priced at £36,495.

    2014 Kia pro Ceed SE Tech is available exclusively with a 1.6 litre 126HP CRDi turbodiesel engine and 6-speed manual gearbox. It is able to return 65.7 mpg UK and CO2 emissions of 112g/km. 0-100 km/h in 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 195 km/h (122 mph). The standard equipment includes black leather seats with contrasting mesh inserts, an electric tilting and sliding sunroof with an automatic electric roller blind, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, front parking sensors and Kia’s Parallel Park Assist System (PPAS). The pro Ceed SE Tech is priced at £22,795.

    2014 Kia Picanto 4 is ered by a 1.25 litre 84HP petrol engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox and ISG engine stop/start system. The standard equipment includes automatic air conditioning, 15” alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and LED rear combination lights, a premium Supervision instrument cluster and heated front seats. The Picanto 4 is priced at £11,995.

    2014 Kia Rio 4 boasts a smart key with engine start button, a power sliding and tilting sunroof, black leather upholstery and a heated steering wheel. It has a 1.4 liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 107HP connected to a 6-speed manual gearbox. There is also a 1.4 liter CRDi diesel with 6-speed manul transmission. The Rio 4 starts at £16,595.

    Source: Kia

  • BMW X5 eDrive Concept at 2014 New York Auto Show

    BMW is going to exhibit a new version of X5 eDrive Concept at the 2014 New York Auto Show. The super-efficient SAV (sports activity vehicle) boasts an impressive fuel consumption and will actually go in production as an xDrive40e model.

    BMW X5 eDrive Concept was unveiled in September, last year at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Its more refined version will be showed in New York this month. The specs remain the same – a four-cylinder 2.0 liter BMW TwinPower Turbo engine with 245 HP (180 kW) and 540Nm (400 lb-ft) of torque working together with an electric motor that generates 95 HP (70 kW). The combined power is 272HP (200 kW) and the fuel consumption is just 3.8 liters / 100 km – 61.9 mpg US or 74.3 mpg UK.

    The plug-in hybrid X5 has comes with minor upgrades including new roof rails and 21” alloy wheels fitted with low-resistance tires. There are three driving modes: intelligent hybrid, pure electric and a “save battery” mode. In pure-electric mode, the range of around 32 km (20 miles) at speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph).

    The electric motor draws its power from a lithium-ion battery that can be charged from any domestic socket. The electrification of the powertrain under the umbrella of BMW eDrive enables BMW to unlock huge potential for reducing the fuel consumption and emissions of large models.

    Source: BMW

  • Citroen DS5 LS-R Concept – 300HP and 400Nm

    Citroen is going to exhibit the DS5 LS-R Concept at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. This will be the most powerful car in brand’s line-up. It comes with uprated four-cylinder engine and some nice goodies like big wheels, improved suspension and brakes. The DS5 LS-R concept car emphasises the dynamic character of the production version, highlighting the model’s athletic lines.

    The 1.6 liter turbocharged engine now has 300HP (224 kW) and 400Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. Nothing is mentioned about the performance, but it will accelerate 0-100 km/h in around 6 seconds and the top speed is going to be 250 km/h (155 mph) – electronically limited. The engine is connected to a sequential gearbox featuring steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

    Other highlights include lowered ride height by 1 5 mm and reworked suspension, brake system and chassis in order to handle the additional power. The exterior boasts a number of carbon fiber elements. There is also a nice Carmine Red paint finish and carbon-colored 20” alloy wheels fitted with ultra-low profile tires.

    The interior features full leather and Alcantara upholstery, performance front seats, a lot of carbon fiber and Carmine Red inserts. The dashboard, seats, central armrest and upper door panels have received pearl top-stitching in Carmine Red.

    The unveiling of DS 5LS R follows on from the DS3 Cabrio Racing and DS4 Racing concepts, as Citroën continues to push boundaries in performance, design and innovation.

    The Beijing Motor Show takes place at the China International Exhibition Centre from April 20th to 29th.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A-pqxBKhTs

    Source: Citroen

  • 2014 BMW M4 Convertible – Just Amazing

    BMW has officially unveiled the all-new 2014 M4 Convertible, which is expected to make public debut at the 2014 New York Auto Show. The stylish coupe-cabriolet is powered by the same BMW M TwinPower Turbo 3.0-liter inline-six as its siblings. It also comes with exceptional exterior and interior and some nice innovative technologies.

    The exterior boasts twin headlight arrangement with optional LED technology, distinctive twin-bar kidney grille with black painted bars, BMW M double-spoke wheels and the ///M logo all over the car. BMW M design features on display is the characteristic power dome on the hood and striking mirrors, with their suggested twin-stalk mounts, optimize the aerodynamics of the new BMW M4 Convertible.

    The interior boasts a lot of sporty elements like M door sill finishers, an M driver’s footrest, M gearshift lever, M-design circular instruments with white graphics, M leather steering wheel with chrome trim, color contrast stitching and electroplated-look shift paddles (if the M-DCT gearbox is specified). There are also sport front seats taking visual inspiration from the bucket seats fitted in racing cars. The M logo, chrome trim and color contrast stitching are central elements of the cabin’s racing ambience.

    The most important – a 3.0 liter TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder engine with 430HP (317 kW) and 550Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque. 0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds with 7-speed M Double Clutch Transmission and 4.4 seconds with the standard six-speed manual. The top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph).

    Other highlights include Active M Differential, M compound brakes and an M-tuned electromechanical steering system.

    Options include an Adaptive M suspension (with COMFORT, SPORT and SPORT+ modes) and M carbon ceramic brakes with gold-painted calipers.

    2014 BMW M4 Convertible is expected to hit the market this summer.

    Source: BMW

  • Mercedes SL 65 AMG Black Series vs Ferrari 458 Italia [video]

    Dragtimesinfo has published an interesting drag race video with Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG R230 Black Series (stock) going against Ferrari 458 Italia (stock) and a tuned Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG Gorilla Racing with 700HP.

    The SL 65 is powered by a 6.0 liter V12 Bi-Turbo with 670HP (493 kW) at 5,400RPM and 1,000Nm (740 lb-ft) of torque at 2,200RPM. 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 10.9 seconds and ¼ mile in 11.6 seconds with 202 km/h (126 mph).

    Ferrari 458 Italia has a 4.5 liter naturally aspirated V8  – 570HP (419 kW) at 9,000RPM and 540Nm (399 lb-ft) at 6,000RPM. This means the incredible 127 HP/liter. The curb weight is 1,380kg, so it has a power-to-weight ratio of 2.42 kg/hp. 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 325 km/h (202 mph).

    The first start was between the 458 Italia and the SL 65 AMG. It was really intense and both cars were neck in neck during the whole 1 mile run. Still, the 458 Italia managed to win the race with 29.267 seconds with 283.7 km/h, while the SL 65 AMG needed 29.630 seconds with 295 km/h terminal speed. The ¼ mile times are 11.854 seconds and 12.074 seconds, respectively.

    The second start is between the SL 65 AMG and the ML 63 AMG Gorilla Racing. Of course, the Roadster humiliated the big SUV. The SL 65 AMG crossed the finish line in 28.996 seconds with 298 km/h (which is more than enough to beat the Ferrari) and the ML 63 AMG in 30.142 seconds with 269 km/h.

    Enjoy!

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFDKeH2PkzU

    Source: Dragtimesinfo via Youtube

  • Porsche Boxenne S [render image]

    Here is a nice render image of Porsche Boxenne S, which is a mixture between the recently announced Macan crossover and Fiat 500. The hardcore fans of Porsche will curse it, but as the market demands these days, the Boxenne could be a real hit.

    The render image is published by X-Tomi Design, who obviously has some very nice ideas. The small affordable Porsche Boxenne will never happen, but it will be surely appreciated. Still, we think that it will be better, if Porsche announce smaller model than Cayman. A direct rival of Lotus Elise and Alfa Romeo 4C will be very interesting.

    If Porsche produces a smaller version of Macan, it could be fitted with some powerful engines. For example the Macan S is powered by a 3.0 litre V6 bi-turbo engine – 340HP (250 kW) and accelerates 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.2 seconds. A 7-speed double-clutch transmission transfers power to AWD system. The top speed is 255 km/h (158 mph), and its NEDC fuel consumption figures are between 31.4 and 32.5 mpg, which corresponds to CO2 emissions of between 212 and 204 g/km. All these figures will be drastically improved, if the weight is lowered as well as the improved aerodynamics.

    Imagine what will do the Boxenne S with the same engine!

    Source:x-tomi design

  • Prior Design BMW M6 F13 Pickup [render]

    Prior Design has published a nice render picture of BMW M6 F13 Pickup. For now it is just an idea, but Prior actually said that it could become a reality. We hope that don’t happen, because it will ruin one perfect car… or more.

    However, there is a lot of positive feedback from fans on the Facebook page of Prior Design. We wonder why, but everybody has an opinion even if it is wrong. You may remember that BMW actually produced one M3 Pickup based on the E92 model. It looked ridiculous, but nobody cares because it is an M3.

    The tuning package for M6 F13 Pickup by Prior Design remains the same as the one fitted on the Coupe – a new front bumper, a carbon fiber front lip spoiler and carbon fiber fins. There is also a new ventilated hood, a pair of widened side skirts and extended wheel arches. The rear bumper is also new and comes with an integrated diffuser.

    BMW M6 F13 Coupe is powered by a 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 (S63B44TU) – 560HP (412 kW) at 6,600RPM and 680Nm (502 lb-ft) of torque available at just 1,500RPM. 0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds , 0-200 km/h in 12.0 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) – electronically limited or 300 km/h (186 mph) with ///M Drivers package. The engine is connected to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox sending the power to the rear wheels. ¼ mile in 11.7 to 11.9 seconds.

    The curb weight is 1,850kg and the powerful sports coupe is able to cover 100 km with just 7.6 liters on Highway.

    Source: Prior Design

  • 2015 McLaren 650S Coupe and Spider – US Price

    McLaren is now offering the 2015 650S Coupe and 650S Spider in the US and Canada across all 15 retail locations. The pricing starts from $265,500 for the Coupe and $280,225 for the 650S Spider in the US, while in Canada, they are priced CAD $287,000 and CAD $305,500 respectively.

    2015 McLaren 650S is powered by a M838T twin turbo V8 engine – 650HP (478 kW) and 678Nm (500 lb-ft). 0-100 km/h in 3.0 seconds and 0-200 km/h in 8.6 seconds. The top speed is 329 km/h (204 mph) and the uel consumption and emissions – 11.7 l / 100km on the combined cycle and 275 g/km of CO2.

    “Driving excitement is at the absolute heart of the McLaren 650S”said Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive.

    “Of course the performance figures are important, and they help boost excitement. But they’re only part of the story. This is a car that’s about feel as well as measurement.”, he added.

    Standard equipment includes carbon ceramic brakes  that sit behind unique lightweight alloy wheels and shod with Pirelli P Zero™ Corsa tyres. The interior boasts a fully-trimmed cabin in lightweight Alcantara, IRIS satellite navigation with Bluetooth connectivity, SIRIUS satellite radio in North America, wireless tethering, audio streaming and voice control all fitted as standard.

    Optional equipment features fixed-back carbon racing seats, based on the lightweight design found in the McLaren P1™, an electric steering column adjustment assists ingress and egress, a rear parking camera and extended carbon fiber throughout the interior.

    TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION – McLaren 650S COUPÉ

    Drivetrain Layout Longitudinal Mid-Engine, RWD Track, F/R (mm) 1,656 / 1,583
    Engine Configuration 3.8L V8 Twin Turbo / 3,799cc Length (mm) 4,512
    Engine

    HP / rpm

    641 @ 7250 Width (mm) 2,093
    Torque / rpm 500 lb-ft @ 6000 Height (mm) 1,199
    Transmission 7-Speed SSG Dry Weight, lbs (Coupé/Spider) 2,932 / 3,020
    Body Structure Carbon Fiber MonoCell with

    Aluminium Front and Rear Frames

    Active Aerodynamics McLaren Airbrake
    Wheelbase (mm) 2,670 Suspension ProActive Chassis Control
    Brakes Carbon Ceramic Discs with Forged Aluminium Hubs (F 394mm/R 380mm) ProActive Chassis Control modes Normal / Sport / Track
    Tyres (F/R) Pirelli P Zero Corsa 235/35 R19 /

    Pirelli P Zero Corsa 305/30 R20

    Powertrain Modes Winter / Normal / Sport / Track
    Wheel Sizes (F/R) 19” x 8.5”J / 20” x 11” J

    PERFORMANCE DATA

    Speed Maximum speed 207 mph
    Acceleration 0-60 mph 2.9 seconds
    0-100 5.7 seconds
    0-186 mph 25.4 seconds
    ¼ mile 10.5 @ 139 mph
    Braking 62-0 mph 100 ft
    124-0 mph 404 ft
    186-0 mph 889 ft

    Source: McLaren

  • BMW 3-Series F30 M Performance Edition

    BMW is going to offer the 3-Series F30 ///M Performance Edition in South Africa. It is scheduled to hit the market in May and will come with a number of cool upgrades including engine boost.  The German manufacturer has already presented ///M Performance packages for X5 and X6 as well as the 1-Series and 5-Series F10. Now it is turn to F30 to become really impressive.

    The ///M Performance Edition comes with a black front grille, a pair of aerodynamic side skirts and a carbon fiber rear spoiler. There are also carbon fiber mirror covers, ///M-Sport brake system and a set of 19” alloy wheels fitted with performance tires.

    The options list also include ///M Performance stripes, an ///M Performance sports exhaust system and exclusive Laguna Seca Blue or Valencia Orange paint scheme. The ///M Performance Power Kit boosts the engine at least with 13HP (10 kW) and 30Nm (22 lb-ft) of torque (for 320d).

    Production will be limited to just 500 units and the M Performance Edition package can be ordered on any model from the 320d to the 335i.

    The fans will appreciate this special edition a lot, because of all these nice goodies.

    Pricing:

    • BMW 3 Series Sedan M Performance Edition Content: R50, 000 and R65, 000 if specified with exclusive metallic paints (Price of M Performance Edition content if fitted at dealership is R 87,000).
    • 20” BMW M Performance light alloy wheel Double-spoke 405M: R43,900
    • M Performance Top Stripes: R2,895
    • M Performance Exhaust System: R11,755
    • M Performance Power Kit: R15,670

    Source: BMW

  • Sievers Tuning Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 45th Anniversary Edition

    Sievers Tuning has unveiled their latest project based on one the five units ever built of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 45th Anniversary Edition. It has been given a new exterior look including new paint scheme, some black graphics, including a Batman logo on the rear wing’s sides and also on the rear bumper.2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 45th Anniversary Edition is powered by the well-known 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V8 with 591HP (435 kW) at 6,800RPM and 650Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque at 4,750RPM. The engine is connected to a 7-speed AMG Speedshift DCT sport transmission sending the power to the rear wheels. 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph). ¼ mile is covered in 11.1 seconds with a terminal speed of 212 km/h (132 mph).The price of SLS AMG GT3 45th Anniversary Edition is €446,250. It comes with carbon fiber reinforced plastic doors, boot lid, front hood, mud guards, front and rear aprons. Other elements from CFRP are the rear wings, rear diffuser and front splitter.The interior boasts a rollcage, center console and dashboard with similar matt carbon fiber appearance.Mercedes-Benz SLS is expected to be retired in the next few months. It won’t get a direct replacement, instead the new model by the premium German manufacturer is going to be smaller and lighter and a lot less expensive.