2016 Mercedes-AMG G63

Mercedes-Benz knows its customers perhaps better than any other manufacturer, a point best observed from the old-school helm of its burly Geländewagen SUV. When a cadre of highly affluent buyers—about 3600 in the U.S. last year—clamor for a mildly modernized 1970s-era military rig with which to pound the suburban pavement, the German luxury brand obliges. And so the 2016 G-class receives yet another update to further extend its iconoclastic relevance into the 21st century, with the now mid-grade Mercedes-AMG G63 remaining our favorite of the bunch.

Goldilocks on Dubs

Lording over the plebian G550 4MATIC and its new-for-2016 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8—yet bowing to the similarly freshened 2016 Mercedes-AMG G65 and its 621-hp twin-turbocharged V-12—the G63 hits the sweet spot in the lineup. The G63 packs the full IMAX experience that is a large, glitzy box on wheels with the bellowing roar of an AMG V-8 coming from its four chrome side pipes. That V-8 is the same hand-built, twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter found in many other high-powered AMG vehicles, but some tuning changes let it produce 27 more horsepower than last year for a total of 563, along with 561 lb-ft of torque from just 1750 rpm.

That boost made our 5961-pound G63 test vehicle the fleetest G-wagen we’ve ever recorded, stomping to 60 mph in an implausible 4.8 seconds and covering the quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds at 117 mph. Mercedes allows the fun to continue up to a governed top speed of 130 mph, at which point the atmosphere is locked in a cage match with the G63’s blocky profile.

Fitted with chunky Yokohama Advan S.T. tires on 20-inch wheels, our G63 also stopped from 70 mph in an impressive 163 feet. However, the big tires—and a hyperactive, undefeatable stability-control system—can’t help much with lateral grip around the skidpad, which amounted to only 0.63 g. Still, given the truck’s narrow track, slow and disconnected steering, and ultrahigh center of gravity, it’s a miracle the G63 doesn’t fall onto its door handles around corners. Fuel economy is as bad as you’d expect, with our test vehicle swilling a gallon of premium every 13 miles.

Righteously Out of Place

But it’s the G’s swagger on the street that matters most here. From the thundering exhaust to the rifle-bolt door locks to the vault-like kachunk when shutting the doors, the G63 is an aural delight. Put the seven-speed AMG automatic into Sport mode, tickle the throttle, and let every Prius driver know the well-heeled antichrist has arrived.

Despite the initially odd driving position with limited fore/aft seat travel and the upright windshield in your face—a design characteristic we found to be highly vulnerable to ice and spray buildup in winter weather—it’s easy to get comfortable in the G63. The plush leather seats are comfy and supportive, as well as heated and ventilated. And there’s the full gamut of Benz’s latest amenities, including auto stop-start capability for the engine, a new instrument cluster and driver-information display, a central COMAND interface, and several driver aides, such as blind-spot monitoring, parking assistance, and adaptive cruise control.

Not that many G63 drivers will explore the full extent of its abilities, but there are still three locking differentials for off-roading, a low-range transfer case, and minimal overhangs for steep inclines and declines. This is a vehicle that was initially designed more than three decades ago, with live axles at both ends and the interior packaging of a shipping container. Despite more than 120 cubic feet of interior space, the cabin is narrow, legroom is limited, and the rear seats are perched, stadium-style, high above the front row of occupants, greatly diminishing headroom for those in back.

You Know You Want To

As you’d expect, the Mercedes-AMG G63 is a properly expensive lifestyle purchase at more than $140,000 to start. Our test truck also tacked on AMG’s carbon-fiber interior trim ($2950), a rear-seat entertainment system with dual monitors ($2650), purple-ish Designo Mystic Blue Metallic paint ($2300), a heated steering wheel ($250), and all-weather floor mats ($200) for a total of $149,175. Buyers looking for maximum visibility can also opt for one of four special color-and-trim packages, including eye-searing Alien Green, for an additional $20,000.

Yet, considering the AMG touches and its outright performance, the G63’s premium over the $120,825 G550 seems like money well spent—and a real bargain versus the G65’s stratospheric $218,825 base price. Mercedes knows that over-the-top-and-tumbling-down-the-backside is just the right amount of crazy for some of the most ardent G-wagen fans, which justifies the existence of the G65. But for those simply looking for the ultimate G-class experience, look no further than the G63.

Read More

2018 Lexus LC500h: Hybridized with Two Transmissions for Your Pleasure

Like it or not, the long-term future of cars almost definitely doesn’t involve the internal combustion of fossil fuels. Toyota is keenly aware of this truth, and that’s why the brand is readying a fuel-cell car for its premium Lexus brand by 2020. But that model won’t represent Toyota’s first major foray into hydrogen-fuel-cell powered vehicles, as the brand became the first to offer a fuel-cell car for direct purchase last year, in the form of the, er, aesthetically challenged Mirai. But before fuel-cell-powered and battery-electric vehicles rule the autonomous roads of the future, the interim will be filled with lots and lots of hybrids.
It’s been just over a month since the company revealed the stunning LC500, a V-8 two-door that the company hopes will help revitalize the somewhat moribund upscale-coupe market when it goes on sale in about a year as a 2018 model. Now, hot on the heels of that gasoline-powered model comes the hybrid variant, the LC500h, which will launch concurrently with the plain ol’ 500. But the LC500h is much more than just another hybrid from the automaker that sells a million gas-electric cars each year.

The Proof Is in the Transmissions—Yep, Two of ’Em

Indeed, the new LC hybrid marks the debut of a new longitudinal hybrid transmission, which Toyota has dubbed the Multi Stage Hybrid System. This system includes a CVT that incorporates two electric motors—similar in concept to the Hybrid Synergy Drive in a Prius—and adds a conventional four-speed automatic transmission to the mix. Yes, it has two transmissions. If you’re thinking that this sounds a lot like the GM/BMW/Daimler-Chrysler co-developed Two-Mode hybrid transmission from a decade ago, you’re not far off the mark.

In a sense, Multi Stage picks up where Two-Mode left off, and adds quite a bit of capability in the process. Chief engineer Koji Sato says one of the main goals was to eliminate the rubber-band feel of a traditional CVT, and to make throttle inputs feel more directly related to what the car is actually doing. No car company, certainly not one as renowned for refinement as Lexus, wants its new model compared to a golf cart.

That said, Lexus admits the LC500h will feel a lot like hybrids with only a conventional CVT when driven in its Normal or Eco modes, albeit with fewer engine-rev spikes that feel out of step with acceleration. The transmission arrangement puts the four-speed effectively at the output of the two-motor CVT, which means the electric motors don’t have to spin as fast, reducing electrical losses and thereby improving efficiency. The new setup also allows for electric-only driving up to 87 mph; the old transmission, as installed in the LS600h and GS450hhybrids, would only allow for 62 mph. (For further reference, the Two-Mode system was capable of 32 mph.) But put the LC500h in Sport or Sport+ mode, and the transmission acts like a conventional 10-speed transmission—the number of ratios in the regular LC500’s gearbox—using “virtual gears.” We’ll have a deep dive story with all the juicy details on Multi Stage soon.

More Details to Detail

At the technical preview we attended, Sato wasn’t quite ready to reveal how much the LC500h weighs, but he did tell us the regular LC should weigh about the same as the BMW 6-series. So taking into account the extra 150 pounds or so added by the lithium-ion battery pack and associated electronics, the hybrid LC should weigh roughly 4400 pounds.

While Lexus says the 467-hp V-8 coupe will hit 60 mph in “less than 4.5 seconds,” the hybrid will pack significantly less horsepower—113 fewer, to be exact—and so we’re thinking that Lexus’s sub-five-second 0­-to-60-mph time for the 500h might be a bit optimistic. The internal-combustion portion of the powertrain is an Atkinson-cycle 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 295 horsepower and 348 lb-ft of torque; the remaining 59 horses come courtesy of the larger electric motor/generator in the Multi Stage transmission. However, we’re prepared to be proven wrong about the LC500h’s accelerative might—after all, Lexus says this is the first hybrid it has made that’s capable of spinning its rear tires on dry asphalt. As for efficiency, Lexus is holding the LC500h’s fuel-economy numbers close to its chest, as EPA scrutinizing is still some ways in the future. We figure you can expect minimum city and highway scores of 31 and 37 mpg, however, and 40 mpg on the highway isn’t out of the question.

Aside from the powertrain changes, indicators that this is a hybrid are few, the most obvious being a few badges and a slightly reworked shifter that mimics the Prius’s funky over-and-up/down gate. Indeed, the LC500h shares the LC500’s wheels and tires, sheetmetal, and interior. This is no bad thing. The LC is a gorgeous thing to behold, a taut mix of elegance and aggression, while the three-tone blue, orange, and white interior in the LC500h we saw—a nod to Virginia Cavaliers fans, perhaps?—is subtler and more successful than one might think. And the attention paid to creating interesting details, such as the flowing, asymmetrically designed interior door panels with their frameless pulls, provide further proof that Lexus is taking design seriously. In person, this car seems to signal a shift at Lexus to a more considered aesthetic—outside of the massive grille, that is—and we love it. As we viewed the car, we kept thinking of the LC as a 1960s Japanese sports coupe remixed for the 21st century with big wheels, an angry countenance, and a wider stance.

We’re going to have to wait more than a year to drive this car, and many of the equipment and technology details we’d normally share in an introductory story like this are still under wraps. That said, the LC500 and LC500h will certainly have all the safety, luxury, and convenience features expected in statement vehicles with a price tags expected to approach—or surpass—$100,000.

Between the Lexus LC, the new Infiniti Q60, the S-class coupe, and the stalwart BMW 6-series, the big-coupe segment may be on the verge of a renaissance. Aside from knocking it out of the park stylistically, the Lexus also is the only one to offer a hybrid version. We’re not sure we’ll ever see a bigger fight over such small sales volumes—and we can’t wait.

Read More

2016 Audi RS7 Performance

We really, really like the Audi RS7—like, if we went to grade school with it, we’d pass it love notes until we ran out of paper. The RS7 is the ne plus ultra member of a lineup that also includes the A7 and S7 that earned spots on our 10Best Cars lists in 2012, 2013, and 2014—cars that remain our top picks in the curious luxury-four-door-coupe segment. For more proof of our crush, the RS7 also won the only C/Dcomparison test in which it participated. But that comparo occurred a long time ago in car years—more than two!—and Audi has since updated the model for 2016, mostly with cosmetic tweaks and technology enhancements. Its greatnessled us to call the latest model “one of the greatest performance sedans (well, hatchbacks) of all time.”
And now there’s a new top-spec version, the RS7 Performance, that has 45 more ponies under the hood and a slew of sporty fillips. Spoiler alert: We fell hard for this one, too.

The smooth 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 in the RS7 Performance produces a robust 605 horsepower, just five fewer than the 5.2-liter V-10 in the blazing-fast R8 supercar, as a matter of fact. Its 553 lb-ft of torque outmuscles the R8 by 140 lb-ft and the non-Performance RS7 by 37. The extra output comes mainly from a new overboost function and different turbocharger turbines, but the Performance’s V-8 also has revised valve timing, new exhaust valves, different camshafts, higher-efficiency radiators, and a reprogrammed control unit. (The new S8 Plus has the same 605-hp engine, but that car is tuned more for refinement versus the more-frenetic RS7.) As you’d expect, then, there’s plenty of thrust available, all the time, and it’s impossible to keep from grinning like an idiot during high-speed passing maneuvers and full-throttle romps away from stoplights. Zipping around sweeping on-ramps is fun, too, the lovely perforated steering wheel transmitting strong signals of the relationship between the meaty front tires and the pavement.

The eight-speed automatic—remapped for this amped-up application—is an eager accomplice. Few paddle-shifted cars compel us to use their paddles, but the RS7 is a different beast; it’s highly satisfying to have this excellent drivetrain at your direct command. The transmission shifts instantly when you thwack the appropriate paddle, and the engine roars like a wild animal, fierce and alive. Upshifts just mean more velocity piling onto the speedometer, all the way up to a stated top speed of 190 mph. Downshifts are just as scintillating, the needle flinging up the tach and the exhaust burbling viciously.

The RS7 Performance comes standard with the sport exhaust that’s optional on the 560-hp RS7. That less-powerful RS7 will continue to be available, and Audi of America execs figure the sales split will be 50/50. The $20,100-dearer RS7 Performance is actually a good deal, since it comes with carbon-ceramic brakes that aren’t available on the base car, as well as some tasteful aesthetic upgrades and the delectable engine alterations.

One note: As is sort of a trend of late—witness Dodge’s two-key strategy for its Hellcat products—the RS7 doesn’t allow its full fury to be accessed right away. One must be in Dynamic mode and/or have the transmission in the manual or sport positions in order to dip into the full 605 horses. Doing so also makes the throttle tip-in pretty touchy, so you might want to keep it in the 560-hp mode if, say, you’re shuttling your in-laws home from dinner. The Performance also gets Dynamic Ride Control suspension (DRC), which is part of the $3500 Dynamic package on the regular RS7 and trades out that car’s air suspension for sportier steel springs. The DRC dampers are connected diagonally across the car with hydraulic fluid, notably improving attack angles during cornering. The RS7 is the only current Audi with DRC, although we’ve previously experienced it in the RS4, RS5, and RS6.

According to Stephan Reil, head of technical development at Audi’s Quattro GmbH performance division, the DRC suspension would help the RS7 circle the Nürburgring three or four seconds quicker than an RS7 on air springs. Factor in the extra horsepower, he says, and the RS7 Performance should turn in a time five to seven seconds quicker than the base RS7. When pressed, Reil says the ’Ring time would be “way under eight minutes—about seven-fifty.”

Audi reckons the Performance model is one-tenth of a second quicker to 60 mph, so 3.6 seconds versus 3.7. The only time we strapped our test equipment to an RS7, during that 2013 comparison test, we posted a 3.4-second time. So yeah, this car certainly did not need another 45 horsepower. It did need better chassis control—as we noted after putting an RS7 through our Lightning Lap gantlet—and the DRC suspension certainly helps in that regard.

Speaking of racetracks, we got to try the über-RS7 on the Daytona International Speedway road course on the day before the Rolex 24. Without breaking a sweat, the RS7 cracked 135 mph on the backstretch before the Bus Stop chicane and held 115 mph on the high-banked turns. The RS7 had a lot more in it, but we’re willing to push a car only so hard on our first-ever lap on any circuit. We begged—unsuccessfully—for more track time, which also would have meant even more time with the car. After all, we really, really like the Audi RS7. Add this to the stack of love notes.

Read More

2017 Jaguar F-type SVR: The Fastest Jag Since the XJ220

The Jaguar F-type R already is a pretty menacing machine, and come this summer, anyone with a driver’s license will be able to blast out of the showroom in an even faster, 200-mph version. Our only advice to the fortunate, crazy folks who find their names on the title to a new 2017 F-type SVR: The brake pedal is on the left, and maybe hold off on pressing that console button with the squiggly lines behind the car, at least for a while.
Following the Range Rover Sport SVR, the F-type SVR is the latest installment from Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations, the company’s heritage, customization, and in-house speed shop. And it has brought forth an F-type that is not only hellaciously fast but louder, too.

A Smidge More Power, A Lot More Speed

Unlike SVR’s F-type Project 7 roadsters, a limited run of rear-wheel-drive nostalgia machines with a racing suspension tune, the SVR is more an R+ than a totally custom job. The supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 puts down an identical 575 horsepower as the Project 7 (and 25 more than the R) but even more torque (516 lb-ft versus 502) thanks to new intercoolers and hood vents that allow for freer breathing. The ZF eight-speed automatic’s software quickens shift times and the launch control is altered for harder acceleration from a stop, while tweaks to the torque-vectoring rear differential, all-wheel-drive system, and the stability control also help the SVR power to 60 mph in a claimed 3.5 seconds, or 0.4-second quicker than the R. We expect our times to be a few tenths quicker than that, as we clocked a 2016 F-type R at 3.4 seconds. The SVR coupe tops out at the magic 200-mph mark, a 14-mph bump over the R; the convertible can only do 195. For what it’s worth, Vmax for both body styles is still electronically limited. That’s to stay within the safe operating range of the Pirelli P Zero tires, which are 10 millimeters wider front and rear, now measuring 265/35R-20 and 305/30R-20.

Look Back in Anger

Despite the familiar quad tips, the SVR’s exhaust is entirely new and responsible for more than half of the SVR’s 55-pound weight savings over the regular R. Inconel (a nickel-chromium alloy) and titanium let Jaguar thin the pipe walls to two-tenths of an inch while allowing greater peak temperatures and reduced backpressure. Even the active baffles are made from titanium, and they open earlier without any provocation from the F-type’s Dynamic mode or the exhaust switch inside the cabin. All this, according to Jaguar, gives the SVR “an even more distinctive, purposeful, harder-edged exhaust note.” As if the F-type R doesn’t already drown out Harleys with its outrageous roar and off-throttle gunfire-like pops.

That new exhaust helps out in the aero department, too. Instead of the R’s single transverse-mounted stainless-steel muffler, the SVR mounts its two mufflers further inboard to accommodate a rear venturi and underbody tray. The front bumper gets larger intakes and a more aggressive chin spoiler, while a diagonal outlet in the fenders lets turbulent air quickly escape. The SVR’s wildest aero trick is perhaps the carbon-fiber rear wing. Although it appears bolted in place, hidden within the twin struts is a clever hinge that can tilt the wing rearward, increasing its angle, or slide it forward for minimum drag. At max-attack mode, Jaguar claims the wing’s operation cuts drag by 2.5 percent and lift by 15 percent versus the R’s retractable, partial-width spoiler.

Suspension tweaks include a new cast-aluminum rear-suspension knuckle, a thicker rear anti-roll bar, a thinner front anti-roll bar, and a rear track that is 0.7-inch narrower than the R’s. In its effort to tame the all-wheel-drive R’s understeer at the limit, Jaguar modified the adaptive dampers with new valves and software.

As on R models, carbon-ceramic brakes are an option here. Along with larger rotors (15.7-inch front/15.0-inch rear versus the standard steel 15.0-inch/14.8-inch setup), the carbon brakes also come with lighter forged-aluminum wheels that shave another 30 pounds. Add the optional carbon-fiber roof and other pieces such as carbon-fiber rollover hoops on the convertible, and the SVR is said to shed a total of 110 pounds compared with a standard R.

The Usual Trimmings, Plus a Little More

Inside, the SVR features diamond-stitched seats with contrast stitching and piping, even for the floor mats. The shift paddles are now anodized aluminum rather than plastic, and optional microsuede can be ordered on the steering wheel and center console. Unlike the raciest Porsche models, the SVR comes with air conditioning, a stereo, navigation, and real interior door pulls. All the usual comforts you’d expect in an F-type cabin are here.

Prices start at $126,945 for the SVR coupe and $129,795 for the convertible. A short list of options, most notably the $12,000 carbon-ceramic brakes and $3200 carbon-fiber roof, are available. Order now for summer delivery, and note that, while pricey, an SVR is a bit of a steal versus the $165,925 Project 7—and even more so next to the XKR-S GT that stickered for $174,925 two years ago. All this for a fully warrantied, 200-mph rocket that’s ready to drive off the showroom floor. Buyer beware.

Read More

2016 Bentley Continental GT V8 S

Overview: Since it launched 13 years ago, Bentley’s Continental GT has seen a host of incremental improvements. Originally available solely powered by Volkswagen’s complex, compact W-12, the baby Bentley saw perhaps its biggest change when a V-8 engine option became available for 2013. Wearing the flying B accented with red, rather than the traditional black of the 12-cylinder cars, the V-8 models barely suffered in straight-line performance, while the reduced weight on the nose made the 21st century’s Beverly Hills taxi a whole lot more fun to hurl down a winding road.
What’s New: While Bentley’s W-12 models receive a revised engine for 2016, the Continental GT V8 S continues with the same 521-hp variant of the Volkswagen Group’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. All Contis get revised, sharper creases in the sheetmetal, a smaller grille, and a restyled decklid. Inside, the steering wheel shrinks a bit, the center console has been redone, and new materials choices are available, including stone veneers for those who prefer to knock on something a shade harder than wood and less common than carbon fiber. In a sop to modern life, in-car Wi-Fi now is an available option.

What We Like: While the W-12 has enough grunt to tow a principality and offers a unique howl when under load—especially in the over-the-top Speed models—the lighter V-8 Continentals are the undisputed athletes of Crewe’s line. Pushed hard, the V8 S seems to drop 1500 pounds, behaving like a smaller, nimbler, lighter machine than it actually is, reminding the driver of its true mass only as it nears its considerable limits. Another modern VW Group speed sled, the Porsche 911 Turbo S, seems to work entirely via some dark magic cast from the unholy bowels of Weissach. Not so with the Conti.

You can feel the big bruiser’s front wheels put themselves to work pulling the car out of tight corners. It comes off almost like an overgrown Audi Sport Quattro without the 1980s clunkiness or laughable turbo lag. As it is in Audi’s range of supersaloons, the snarling 4.0-liter V-8 is an unflappable powerplant, offering urge whenever it’s required. It’s not quite as visceral and violent as AMG’s new 4.0-liter, but it better suits the Bentley’s more-reserved character than the roaring, cracking thing from Affalterbach.

What We Don’t Like: Like nearly all very luxurious British automobiles (save, perhaps, McLarens), architectures and the models they spawn remain in the lineup long after age would’ve spelled death in more-competitive, mainstream segments. It’s a syndrome that sometimes results in engaging accidental throwbacks like the refreshingly analog Aston Martin Vantage GT, but the Bentley winds up feeling a bit short of a charmingly quirky relic. Instead, it feels slightly out of phase with itself. Drive a Continental GT V8 S back-to-back with, say, a current Audi RS7, and the advances of the modern era are apparent. At this point, it appears Bentley’s platform may be at the outer edge of its life span.

We also weren’t fans of the carbon-fiber interior trim in our test car. The full name of the material is “carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic” after all, and plastic has no place in a Bentley interior. With such a wondrous range of woods to choose from courtesy of the marque’s Mulliner division, why would you settle for an appliqué that any halflluent schmoe can add to his leased S4?

Verdict: The eight-cylinder Continental’s moves keep it compelling, despite its age and relative jet-set ubiquity.

Read More

2016 Mazda 3 2.0L Manual Sedan

Many carmakers are fond of employing the term “DNA” in describing their vehicle lineups, but few have as much product justification for doing so as Mazda, and fewer still exhibit as much restraint. We hear a lot about zoom-zoom, of course, but that, too, seems justified. From top to bottom, Mazda’s offerings are uniquely uniform in terms of one key DNA trait: an engaging driving experience.

You’d expect that from the little MX-5 Miata sports car, of course. But you might not from the much bigger and more utilitarian CX-9 crossover, Mazda’s family wagon. Nevertheless, it’s there, right across the board. And it certainly distinguishes the Mazda 3 from most others in the compact corral. Hatchback or sedan, the 3 tops our compact-car rankings, largely on the strength of its athleticism, although for 2016 Mazda also has ramped up the 3’s value.

For example, Mazda has trimmed the pricing for the basic 3 i Sport by $600, to $18,665, while at the same time expanding its standard feature content. Our 3 i Grand Touring test car—which essentially lacked only LED exterior lighting and real leather to be top-of-the-line—included navigation, a 7.0-inch touch-screen display, Bose nine-speaker audio, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, Bluetooth with text-messaging capability, Pandora, a rearview camera, a blind-spot monitor, and rear cross-traffic alert. The only option was a $70 cargo mat. By compact-class standards, it adds up to a pretty comprehensive package for less than $23,500.

2.0 vs. 2.5

Our test car was powered by the 3’s basic 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Adding about two grand will put the optional 2.5-liter four under the hood, with 184 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque compared with the 2.0-liter’s modest totals of 155 and 150.

Consistent with Mazda’s sporting ethos, both engines can be paired with either a six-speed manual (standard) or a six-speed automatic transmission. Our test example had the manual, with its endearingly crisp engagements enhanced by a very sweet clutch.

The zero-to-60-mph run takes 7.5 seconds. That’s not a thrill ride, and it’s just 0.1 second quicker than a 2.0-liter paired with the six-speed auto. On the other hand, it’s only a couple tenths behind a 2.5-liter manual hatchback we tested. The acceleration disparity magnifies as the drag race goes on—the 2.5 hatch reached 100 mph 2.1 seconds quicker than the 2.0 sedan. Even though that particular hatchback weighed in 120 pounds heavier than this sedan, horsepower eventually will tell. The point, though, is to decide whether a few tenths in such a test are worth the extra money.

And the further point is that, 2.0 or 2.5, acceleration isn’t the 3’s primary appeal. It will hold its own in the daily-commute derby, but where this car comes into its own is on a two-lane back road with a variety of turns and a paucity of traffic. Chassis rigidity is on par with a bridge girder, body motions are modest, the car responds to inputs with immediacy, and the electric power steering is quick (2.6 turns lock-to-lock), informative, and dead-bang accurate. Attention steering engineers worldwide: Check out this system, learn, adopt.

Is there understeer? Sure, and you’d expect that in a front-drive car. But it’s modest. Grip—0.86 g on our skidpad—is better than modest, even with a set of relatively high-profile all-season Bridgestone Ecopias (205/60-16). Braking performance could be a little better, and on the test track we noted hints of fade. However, fade wasn’t an issue in our real-world exercises, the pedal is easy to modulate, and tires less focused on fuel economy undoubtedly would improve stopping distances.

Speaking of, fuel economy is rated at 29 mpg city and 41 highway by the EPA. Once again, we underachieved, logging 29 mpg on suburban and rural roads. Summoning haste from the 2.0-liter engine doesn’t do much for fuel economy.

The dark side

The interior of our test car will look okay at a glance—provided the beholder is partial to black. Although there are little licks of silvery material here and there, the overall impression is midnight at the oasis. A few small, carbon-fiber-look trim panels don’t do a lot to relieve the darkness.

The front seats provide adequate lateral support, but the bottom cushions feel a little thin. And making adults happy in the rear seat will require territorial concessions by those up front.

Assessed as eye candy, the Mazda 3 sedan has a family look, with attractive sculpting in the side sheetmetal, enhanced by a snappy set of 16-inch aluminum wheels. We still prefer the more athletic looks of the hatchback version, but the sedan isn’t a wallflower, either.

Leaving dynamics out of the equation, the Mazda 3 stacks up as a modestly attractive compact sedan with good fuel economy and a solid value story. But dynamics are this car’s strong suit—and the prime reason we see the 3 as tops in its class.

As the age of the autonomous automobile draws ever nearer, Mazda continues to be guided by the premise that operating a motor vehicle should be both involving and gratifying. The new corporate mantra sums it up: Driving matters. Long may it last.

Read More

Technical specifications: Audi - A4 allroad (B9) - 2.0 TDI (190 Hp) quattro S tronic

Brand	Audi
Model	A4
Generation	A4 allroad (B9)
Engine	2.0 TDI (190 Hp) quattro S tronic
Doors	5
Power	190 hp
Maximum speed	220 km/h
Acceleration from standstill to 100 km/h	7.8 sec
Fuel tank volume	58 l
Year of putting into production	2016 year
Coupe type	Combi
Seats	5
Length	4750 mm.
Width	1842 mm.
Width including mirrors	2022 mm.
Height	1493 mm.
Wheelbase	2818 mm.
Front track	1578 mm.
Rear (Back) track	1566 mm.
Minimum volume of Luggage (trunk)	505 l
Maximum amount of Luggage (trunk)	1510 l
Position of engine	Front, lengthwise
Volume of engine	1968 cm3
Max power in	3800 - 4200 rpm.
Torque	400 / 1750 – 3000 Nm
Fuel System	Diesel Commonrail
Turbine	Turbo / Intercooler (Turbocharging / Intercooler)
Position of cylinders	Inline
Number of cylinders	4
Bore	81 mm.
Stroke	95.5 mm.
Compression ratio	15.5
Number of valves per cylinder	4
Fuel Type	Diesel
Wheel Drive	All wheel drive (4x4)
Number of Gears (automatic transmission)	7 Stronic
Front brakes	Ventilated discs
Rear brakes	Disc
ABS	yes
Steering type	Steering rack
Power steering	Electric Steering
Emission standard	EURO VI
Kerb Weight	1640 kg.
Max. weight	2245 kg.
Max. roof load	90 kg.
Permitted trailer load with brakes (8%)	2000 kg.
Permitted trailer load with brakes (12%)	1800 kg.
Permitted trailer load without brakes	750 kg.
Permitted towbar download	80 kg.

Read More