The new BMW ActiveHybrid 7

Source: Paultan.Org

BMW now has a competitor for the S400 BlueHybrid - the new BMW ActiveHybrid 7. The ActiveHybrid 7 (available in both F01 and F02 longwheelbase bodies, with the long wheelbase called the BMW ActiveHybrid 7L) uses a mild hybrid system, also sometimes called a motor assist system.

Basically the V8 engine and 8-speed ZF automatic transmission is assisted by a three-phase synchronous electric motor weighing 23kg to give a peak output of 465 horses and 700Nm of torque. The electric motor (20 horses and 210Nm of torque) is positioned between the V8 and the 8-speeder’s torque converter, and receives power from a 35 cell 400wH lithium ion battery, which can also be recharged by the motor via brake energy regeneration.Read more: http://paultan.org/2009/08/13/new-bmw-activehybrid-7-hybrid-luxo-barge-to-face-off-the-s400-bluehybrid/#ixzz0O4VIGEEc

This lithium ion battery measures 370mm by 220mm by 230mm and weighs 27kg, and is housed in the luggage compartment between the wheel arches, protected by a high-strength casing. Basically BMW had to remove the air-conditioning compressor for the rear aircond vents to make space for the battery.
0 to 100km/h takes 4.9 seconds, while EU test cycle fuel consumption is rated at 9.4 liters per 100km. CO2 emissions have been measured at 219g/km. Not exactly figures that will make greenheads drool but being an enthusiast I’m quite interested in experiencing the kind of pulling power that a high torque turbocharged engine and an inherently torquey electric motor can give.Read more: http://paultan.org/2009/08/13/new-bmw-activehybrid-7-hybrid-luxo-barge-to-face-off-the-s400-bluehybrid/#ixzz0O4VN79IO

The ActiveHybrid 7 also features automatic start-stop, which is said to be a first on a BMW equipped with an automatic transmission. Auto start-stop has been available for quite sometime now as part of their EfficientDynamics program but have previously been available only on manual transmission models.
The air conditioning and other systems remain fully operational whenever the engine is off, however being a mild hybrid system the car will not move with the V8 engine turned off - it will only turn off when you come to a stop. The air conditioning system can also be activated remotely via the remote control to cool down the car sufficiently before you get into the car.
Look after the jump for a full hi-res gallery and a video of the new BMW ActiveHybrid 7.Read more: http://paultan.org/2009/08/13/new-bmw-activehybrid-7-hybrid-luxo-barge-to-face-off-the-s400-bluehybrid/#ixzz0O4VPvgP2

The Mercedes Benz S-Class Awarded Best Luxury Car

Source: Carpages.Co.Uk



The Mercedes Benz S-Class has been crowned Best Luxury Car at the prestigious Auto Express New Car Awards for the fourth consecutive year.

Editor in Chief, David Johns said: "Mercedes Benz redefined what we expect from the luxury car class with the S-Class, it still stands out like a beacon four years after its launch…the outstanding quality, effortless performance and superb refinement of the S-Class just couldn't be matched by its rivals, old or new."

Since the launch in 2006 the flagship model has continued to dominate sales in the luxury car segment with class leading innovative technology and the highest levels of comfort and style.

Dermot Kelly, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Cars said: "It is fantastic to receive this accolade from Auto Express again this year. We are delighted that the S-Class has been awarded the Best Luxury Car title every year since we introduced the current car to the UK market, and it is going to get even better."

Later this year the new-generation Mercedes Benz S-Class will arrive in the UK, and, will of course feature even more safety and technological enhancements, along with improved performance and efficiency. The combined fuel consumption of the Mercedes Benz S 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY is now 37.2 mpg, an improvement of 9% and CO2 emissions have been reduced by 21% to just 199 g/km. Standard equipment will now include Adaptive Highbeam Assist and Attention Assist while an enhanced version of Night View Assist Plus with pedestrian recognition, Blind Spot Assist and Lane Keeping Assist will all be optionally available.

The interior of the new Mercedes Benz S-Class will boast class leading technology in the form of a new SPLITVIEW screen. The screen enables the driver and front passenger to view different content on the same screen, at the same time. The driver can see the navigation information while the passenger can watch a movie. When activated the pixels facing towards the driver are used for the driver's image and the pixels oriented towards the front passenger are activated for their own image.

Mercedes CL-Class W216 by MEC Design

Source: Gtspirit.com



MEC Design has unveiled a new bodykit for the Mercedes CL-Class W216; called 2FACE. The kit packs a new aggresive front bumper with revised grille. The back of the car got a three-piece rear spoiler, a choice between two rear diffusers (called elegant and extreme sports) and a sports exhaust system with four tailpipers.

The package also holds side skirts with LED lighting and new wheels in black or chrome. The MEC design wheels measure 10.5×22 front and 11.5×22 rear. No info pricing yet, we only want to hear your opening about this special package.

Ferrari's new V8-engined car

Source: PADDY COMYN (Irishtimes.Com)

FERRARI HAS revealed first images of the new 458 Italia, a V8 mid-engined car that will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. It had been thought that the car, which will replace the F430, would be called the F450.

Ferrari says that this is a totally new car in terms of engine design, aerodynamics, handling and ergonomics. The car features a high-revving 4,498cc V8 engine that puts out 562bhp at a staggering 9,000rpm, with a maximum torque of 540Nm at 6,000rpm, over 80 per cent of which is available from 3,250rpm.
Despite the fact that new engine is significantly more powerful than the V8 that preceded it, it puts out 320g/km and fuel economy is 13.7l/100km on the combined cycle.

Performance is impressive, too. It takes under 3.4 seconds to reach a speed of 100km/h and the maximum speed is said to be in excess of 325km/h. The car will employ a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and, as well as featuring the E-Diff differential and the F1-Trac skid control system, technologies inspired by F1, the 458 Italia uses one ECU to control both systems which Ferrari say, results in a 32 per cent increase in longitudinal acceleration out of corners, compared to previous models.
Brakes also feature a prefill function, whereby the pistons in the callipers move the pads into contact with the discs when the driver lifts off in order to minimise delay in the brakes being applied. This helps reduce the stopping distance from 100km/h to just 32.5 metres.

The new car will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

2009 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Road Test

Source: Car Throttle.Com













2009 Aston Martin V8 VantageBase Price: $119,500

Body: 2-door Coupe
Mechanical Orientation: Rear Wheel Drive

Engine: All alloy quad overhead cam 32 valve 4735cc V8
Power: 420 bhp (313 kW / 426 PS)
Torque: 470 Nm (346 lb.ft)
Transmission: Sportshift4 automated manual transmission (6sp)

Weight: 1630 kg (3595 lb)
Wheelbase: 2600 mm (102.5 in)
Length: 4380mm (172.5 in)
Width: 1865mm (73.5 in)
Luggage Capacity: 300 litres (10.6 cu.ft)

0-62 mph (100 km/h): 4.9 seconds
Top Speed: 180 mph (290 km/h)

For: Looks, power
Against: Nothing
Conclusion: The best looking and sounding daily driver exotic you can find.





Test Vehicle: Aston Martin Vantage 4.7L V8 with 6-speed SpeedShift Auto Gearbox

Pig ugly. What a horrible looking thing. What were they thinking?

All things that you will never hear when talking about any Aston Martin.

The V8 Vantage was introduced to the world in 2006 to partner the already achingly gorgeous DB9. It looks like a shrink wrapped version of the DB9 with the skin pulled even more tightly across the frame to give a more taut looking car. I don’t know if it’s better looking than the DB9, but it’s certainly no worse looking.

Then there’s the DB9 convertible. I can’t even talk about it. Its the most beautiful thing on 4 wheels in my opinion.

The V8 I was going to drive was a gorgeous green metallic. I believe its called Almond Green, with a great black leather interior, white stitching and a piano black finish on the center console. The car also had a gorgeous set of 20 spoke wheels which added to the taut look of the car.

The interior was finished with a grey alcantara headliner that made the car feel a lot roomier than it actually was. It was roomier than I expected. I’m not the smallest guy in the world, but at 6′1″ I had plenty of headroom. The doors open normally but they swing slightly up so that you don’t kerb the bottoms of them when getting in – they’re called swan doors. They work, and I wish all cars had them.

I was driving the new SpeedShift transmission with the new upgraded engine for 2009. 420hp with the flappy paddle gearbox available if you wanted it, or simply press the D button on the dashboard and let the Aston’s brain take care of the gear changes. If you get bored of the car changing gear, just pull back on one of the leather wrapped aluminum paddles, and you are in control of the gearbox. Unlike the DSG gearbox on the VW family of products, this one stays in the manual mode until you switch back to fully automatic mode by hitting the D button on the dash again, and also stays in the gear that you have selected. Got to be careful when pulling up to the lights

After sliding the new crystal block into the slot in the dash instead of a key, and then press the start button, the V8 sprang into life. A low rumble let me know that this thing was ready for business. The dials look fantastic from the driver’s seat, with the rev counter and speedo seemingly etched out of a single piece of steel, and the needles swooping round in opposite directions with revs in an anticlockwise direction and speed accumulating clockwise. A large number in the middle of the two dials tells you what gear you are in.

The driving position is perfect with the seats holding you tight enough, even though they feel a little firm. The only odd thing that you have to get used to is the handbrake which is on the left side of the driver’s seat on the door sill. It’s a beautifully machined piece but you need to pull it up, and then put it down to release the brake. That will take some getting used to, but at least the thing is always in the down position. The wheel is thick but not too thick and feels nice in your hands. I wish the airbag didn’t take up so much space, but I’m sure I’ll get over that!

A couple of blips to the throttle whetted the appetite to get this thing moving, so I pressed the D button to get the gearbox in the mood, and gently eased the throttle pedal down. The gearbox has a crawl mechanism on it that gently rolls the car forward, and I suspect will hold it on an incline start, but you have to move the throttle pedal more than you think initially to get the car engaged in first gear.

As I moved forward, the wheel felt solid in my hands with great feedback from the wheels. The car feels as taut as it looks and handles very flat. There was little to no roll into the corners and the car felt as solid as a rock. The gear changes were a little hesitant to start, with a noticeable delay in going up the box, but I am going to score that up to the fact that the car was a little cold. The warmer the oil got, the less hesitant the gears felt. I’m sure there is some technique to the throttle and paddle that I didn’t know, but it was a little jerky to start. The noise was enough though.

I got fed up with the car changing gear almost immediately, so pulled back on the left paddle, and with a little beefy blip from the engine, a surge of power pushed the car down the road. Its deceptively fast but beautifully soundtracked. I imagine that the stereo in this car will never get used. So much for Bang and Olufsen’s hard work

A sharp pull on the right paddle moves you nicely up through the box and keeps the car surging forward. It’s a wonderful feeling. When we needed to scrub a couple of MPH off, a dab of the other pedal (only two in this model) removed things fairly quickly. The brakes have a very solid feel.

The pull from the stop lights was a lot of fun, and looking down at the Aston wings on the wheel in front of me just made me smile. If the James Bond theme isn’t playing in your head at least once, there’s something wrong.

The engine pulls hard, and as I pushed it through a couple of tight corners, there was no body roll at all. I would love to have opened it up a little more, but the distance between the corners was too short.

Its a wonderful sounding car, with really taut handling. I’d rather the manual gearbox myself, but the general consensus around the industry is that the flappy paddle gearbox is the way its going. There is no better looking line up in the industry than Aston Martin and the Vantage lives up to the mark. I would take it as my daily driver over the 911 if I had to choose, but that would be a wonderful choice to have to make.

2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Road Test

Source: Car Throttle.Com









Base Price: $198,000

Body: 2-door Coupe
Mechanical Orientation: Four Wheel Drive

Engine: All alloy quad overhead cam 40 valve 5204cc V10
Power: 553 bhp
Torque: 398 lb.ft
Transmission: Sequential e-gear transmission (6sp)

Weight: 1500 kg (3307 lb)
Wheelbase: 2560 mm (102.5 in)
Length: 4345mm (171.1 in)
Width: 1900mm (74.8 in)
Luggage Capacity: a small mint

0-62 mph (100 km/h): 3.7 seconds
Top Speed: 201 mph (325 km/h)

For: Looks, handling, fit & finish
Against: I would honestly be nitpicking
Conclusion: An amazing drive, glue-like handling, and making every commute an experience.




Test Vehicle: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 5.2L V10 with 6-speed eGear Auto Gearbox

You are never quite prepared for how small these supercars are sometimes. Low slung, painted in a beautiful pearl metalic color with a set of beautiful black wheels, the latest Gallardo out of Sant A’gata looked purposeful and amazing.

The Gallardo doesn’t have the sense of drama of the Murcielago with the regular opening doors, but it’s still a design that turns heads. Totally different from the other Italians and their curves and swoops, I loved the angular look of the Gallardo. It was attracting a lot of attention, and camera phones were in full force wherever I went in this thing. The redesigned front of the LP560-4 looks fantastic, with the scoops looking more dramatic than the previous version.

I adored the new look of the rear end on this compared with the first incarnation. The black grill under the new little star lights creates a dramatic visual for the person behind as they head towards the horizon.

I think its one of the most contemporary designs on the road. The white and black really fits the overall shape. I love how compact it is.

Sliding into the tight seat, the alcantara covered steering wheel feels good in your hands. I think it would have looked better without the silver flat bottom to it (cover that with alcantara as well), and the thin stalks for the egear box are barely visible behind the wheel, but fall in easy reach for me. The interior was black with yellow stitching, which I thought perfectly matched the character of the supercar. The roof was obviously low, but not too low. There is a sense of occasion and, having driven a number of Audis, a sense of Germanic functionality about the interior.

Looking left, the dash slopes away from you to the end of the windshield a long way in front of you, with a line of knurled switches breaking up the center console with the Audi satnav above and the Audi aircon switches below. Amongst other switches, there is a very clever little button for raising the front up in case of speedbumps…that I didn’t have to use, but sitting in the car it was fun to press it a few times. Guess I’ll never grow up will I!

The headliner was black alcantara giving a tight black outlined heavily sloped windshield to look through at the world.

I felt like my feet were sticking out past the front wheels as there is basically nothing in front of you, but the best part of the car is behind you. The V10 sits right behind your shoulder and it idled nicely as I prepared myself to pull off. This wasn’t going to suck. Foot on the brake, pull on the right paddle, off with the handbrake and ease the accelerator down. The V10 picked up its tone, and off we slowly go. This really is a different world driving one of these than a normal car.

I initially had the windows down to hear the engine as I pulled off. The noise behind you is really tight. I loved the journey through the box, with pulls on the right paddle being met with really smooth up changes when compared to the Audi R8, which I thought it would be very similar to. How wrong I was. This is a very different proposition. Pulls on the left paddle were met with nice down changes, little throttle blips, and a very rewarding experience indeed.

The seats hold you in place really well, and the car hugs every curve the way you would expect a 4 wheel drive car that is 3 times as wide as it is tall to. Zero body roll, and a very planted feel to the car. The steering was pretty well weighted, and you could feel the road very well.

After about 5 minutes, I looked at the center console, and saw a little button marked Sport. Seems like something you should press really. One click changed the car altogether. The exhaust note immediately changed to a deeper, more annoyed tone, and the changes were much quicker, and pulls on the left paddle were met with a beautiful orchestra of throttle blips and crackling exhausts. I think I went from 6th to 4th and back several times just to hear the noise!

I then rolled the window up, and listening to the engine and transmission work together was even more fun sealed in. The noise was addictive, as was the surge when you hit the pedal.

The brakes were also pretty good. One stab on the left pedal and you scrubbed off the speed quickly with enough bite to test the seat belts and the work of your chiropractor.

The power is instantaneous, there as soon as you hit the pedal,and the sport mode had really changed the throttle response as well. But when the engine got over 4500 rpm, it reached a different level and the surge down the road was amazing. Throwing this thing into corners with throttle blips and surging from one corner to another was about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

This is a car you could drive every day really. You wouldn’t want to drive it a long way, the seats were just a little bit hard for me (boo hoo, and my diamond studded shoes are too tight as well). The fit and finish of the interior was very good, at least on par with the Audi R8 in my opinion. I wish they had changed the digital display numbers to differentiate itself more from the Audi (as Audi owns the company now), but it is a far different proposition to the R8 (which I also drove and will post a review in a week).

What a car though. Tons of power, ridiculous handling, and looks to stop traffic. I’ll take one in the white. A lot of fun.

Audi R8 V10 Gets a Price Tag

Source: Car Throttle.Com

The Audi R8 has proven to be a hit vehicle with enthusiasts. It has all the right ingredients: V-8 power, mid-engined layout and most of all, a more attainable $114,200 price tag compared with it’s Italian competition. It’s surprising that the car was even able to make it to production, especially given any feared overlap with the R8 and the Lamborghini Gallardo.

They must have figured the halo effect of having the R8 was important to the Audi brand. It certainly has worked out well in that regard! While I’m not a fan of the car’s styling, I can appreciate the car for what it is.

For those looking for something even closer to the power of most exotics, Audi is happy to oblige with a higher performance model. Officially called the 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro, it now has a price tag – $146,000, not including a $1,200 destination charge. Whoa, that certainly is moving up the price ladder, isn’t it? The R8 V10 is nearly $32K more expensive than the V-8 powered R8! The R-Tronic will run you even more, coming in at $155,100. Ouch!

That $32K extra for the V10 model gets you 105 more horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque, for a grand total of 525 hp and 391 lb-feet. Audi says the V10 used in the R8 is the same unit found in the R8 LMS GT3 racecar and that the V10 clocks a 0-60 time of just 3.7 seconds. To me, the extra cash seems a bit steep but money probably isn’t too much of a concern for those purchasing a R8.