2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart Specs, Prices and Reviews

America’s love for sedans is, like a lot of American quirks, not universally embraced beyond our borders.

More practical five-door hatchbacks are the rage in Europe and Asia, and as such, Mitsubishi had to build one to be competitive overseas with its Lancer compact sedan. The only question is whether that hatch should come to the U.S.

Well, whether it should or shouldn’t be coming, it is. Sales of the 2010 Lancer Sportback wagon commence around September 1. The 168-hp GTS starts at $19,910 with a five-speed manual and $20,910 with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The 237-hp all-wheel-drive Ralliart with a six-speed dual-clutch automated manual starts at $28,310, just a couple hundred dollars higher than the sedan.

Sleek and Spacious

Where the Lancer has a trunk, the Lancer Sportback has a steeply raked hatchback that looks swept and sporty. Compared with the similarly situated Subaru Impreza WRX five-door, the Sportback sits on almost the same wheelbase but is nearly seven inches longer than the WRX, giving it heavier front and rear overhangs in side profile. There’s less cargo room behind the seats in the Sportback, 14 cubic feet versus 19 in the WRX, but more space if you fold the seats: 47 cubic feet against the Subaru’s 44.

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon

PRICE AS TESTED: $28,310 (base price: $28,310)

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection

Displacement: 122 cu in, 1998cc
Power (SAE net): 237 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 253 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed dual-clutch automated manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 103.7 in Length: 180.4 in Width: 69.4 in Height: 59.7 in Curb weight (C/D est): 3600 lb 

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST): 
Zero to 60 mph: 5.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.5 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 144 mph

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 17/25 mpg

The Sportback’s rear seats are comfortable and spacious, and they conveniently fold flat via release handles in the trunk area. It’s no Buick Estate Wagon back there, but the loading hole is large, and there’s room for bulky items with the seats folded. For additional volume, the GTS has a removable cargo floor hiding a bin, but a taller muffler rearranges the floor layout to prevent it in the Ralliart.

Not an Evolution

As in the Ralliart sedan, the Sportback Ralliart runs a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder based on the shared world engine also used by Chrysler and Hyundai. At 237 hp, it’s notably down on power compared with the 265-hp WRX and feels it, partly because of the Sportback’s higher curb weight. The only transmission in the Sportback Ralliart is Mitsubishi’s TC-SST dual-clutch six-speed. We’re told that the software in our preproduction car is outdated and that Mitsubishi has smoothed over some of the harder edges of the upshifts with improved shift logic.

Running a mountain twisty, the Sportback proved it’s a good balance of ride comfort and handling, even better than the WRX, which skews to rather soft and roll prone. Corners are attacked with a tangibly stronger connection through the wheel and more confidence in the grip, and there’s no discernible added flex from the giant hole cut for the hatchback.

Still the Precision Instrument

In short, the Lancer Sportback is bigger and about 200 pounds heavier than the comparable WRX but is a sharper stick for jabbing at your favorite roads. Around town, it doesn’t oppress with an overly rigid ride, so we’d say Mitsubishi has found the better suspension compromise for sport-minded drivers. All it needs to find is more horsepower. Wagons, ahoy! Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com

2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

Our favorite little roadster is growing up so fast—sniff, sniff—it’s now old enough to legally enjoy an adult beverage.

But the Mazda Miata managed to remain cool and popular even through its adolescent years, and the nameplate recently surpassed 900,000 units sold worldwide. To celebrate the achievement, Mazda is introducing the 2011 MX-5 Miata Special Edition at this year’sChicago auto show.

Limited to just 750 units, the Special Edition begins life as a loaded, retractable-hardtop Grand Touring model with Premium package. That means the SE has Bluetooth, satellite radio, xenon headlights, keyless entry and start, and electronic stability control. Also standard is the Suspension pack, which nabs Bilstein shocks, a limited-slip differential, and sportier suspension geometry. But all of the above can be fitted to a regular model, albeit as options.
To make the Special Edition actually, you know,special, Mazda stretches gray-stitched black leather over the steering wheel and parking-brake handle, and then installs gray leather seats, gray door trim, and chrome around the air vents and instrument cluster. The exterior can be sprayed one of two unique colors, Sparkling Black Mica or Dolphin Gray Mica.

While this model isn’t nearly as sweet as the MX-5 Super20 show car built to celebrate the Miata’s 20th birthday, it is nevertheless a good deal for the lucky 750 buyers. Cars equipped with the six-speed manual (stick-shift SEs also add aluminum pedal covers) will ring in at $31,720, and those with automatics at $32,320; both prices are just $225 more than similarly optioned, non-SE cars. If you want one, you might want to start hounding your dealer now: the Special Edition is expected to hit lots this month. Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com

2011 Lotus Elise Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

We here in the U.S. have only had access to theLotus Elise since 2004, but elsewhere in the world, the car has existed in its current form since 2000.

Although its relative rarity mitigates the perception that it is aging, the little rocket is still due for a face lift. Lotus isn’t fully revamping the car for 2011, but a mild update is in the cards for the world’s smallest provider of huge thrills.

The biggest change is actually one that we won’t see in the U.S.—the addition of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder to the lineup to power base cars. The 134-hp four will stay in Europe, while we on this side of the ocean will retain our choice of naturally aspirated or supercharged 1.8-liter fours making 189 and 218 hp, respectively.

No Such Thing as a Mature Lotus

What we will see here are a series of small changes to the body. Up front, a new fascia consolidates the various intake elements into one, Miata–like grin—now sans strakes—while single-element headlights replace the staggered-size units occupying the previous Elise’s hood. The strakes are similarly deleted from the cooling intakes positioned on the hips and the taillight panel, which now stretches uninterrupted across the rump. A new, thicker bumper otherwise unclutters the rear end and sits above a wider diffuser.

Two new wheel designs are available, one of which weighs only 65 pounds per set of four. The biggest news for daily users of the Elise (Hi, Caswell!) is that the trunk can now be opened from inside the car, rather than relying solely on the key fob to be unlocked. Also, there is now a tiny Elise graphic on the new LED turn-signal element, so there’s that.

All of the minute modifications add up to a four-percent reduction in the Elise’s coefficient of drag and, more important, an inordinately large maturation of its shape. Most of us bemoan this change, although some point out that maybe the Elise will appeal to a broader audience now. We still think that, if you’re on the fence over whether or not you want an Elise, you don’t. No face lift will ever change that. Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com

2012 Lexus LFA Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

There’s something slightly weird about this scene. We are about to drive the daunting 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife track in Germany. In a Lexus.

Okay, it’s the exotic LFA, a Ferrari-fighting supercar that will cost about $350,000. But the company built its reputation on smooth, refined, and perfectly nerve-calming cars, so why does the LFA exist? In what parallel universe is this thing remotely Lexus-like?

Lexus claims multiple justifications for the LFA program. The car, it says, casts a halo over theLexus F line of performance machines. It’s also a way for Toyota to explore new technologies, particularly carbon-fiber construction. And since Lexus says it will be selective about whom it will sell to—car collectors and high-profile individuals who use the car rather than park it—the LFA should raise the cachet of the brand as a whole.
For all that marketing happy-talk, the 2012 LFA is a serious outlier in the Lexus lineup and has had a convoluted gestation. The program started in 2000, and Lexus showed the first concept car at the Detroit auto show in 2005. Next, a convertible version appeared at Detroit in 2008, though it has since been canceled. In the interim, LFA prototypes were spotted testing at theNordschleife, and further, two race-prepared carsentered the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2008 and 2009. But until now, the company hasn’t said anything about production intent. Lexus is finally ready to admit that a mere 500 will be made, with production starting in December 2010.

Although the car is extravagantly expensive, Lexus says it will lose money on every one. We believe it. The last car that incorporated a similar level of technology, performance, and exclusivity was the $650,000 Ferrari Enzo. At $350,000, the LFA begins to look like something of a bargain. The LFA is an exotic, two-place, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe. The chassis and body are made largely of carbon-fiber composite, just like those of an Enzo or a Mercedes SLR McLaren. Per Lexus’s scales, the car weighs 3263 pounds—less than a Corvette ZR1.

The engine is a 4.8-liter V-10 codeveloped with Yamaha. It’s a compact unit that makes 553 horsepower at 8700 rpm and revs to a giddy 9000 rpm. Maximum torque of 354 pound-feet peaks at 6800 rpm, with 90 percent available between 3700 and 9000 revs.

The rear-mounted, six-speed automated manual transaxle incorporates a Torsen limited-slip differential. Control arms comprise the front suspension, with a multilink arrangement at the back. To keep weight down, the suspension pieces and the remote-reservoir monotube KYB dampers are aluminum.

The Brembo carbon-ceramic brake setup consists of discs 15.4 inches in diameter and six-piston monoblock calipers up front, with 14.2-inch discs and four-piston calipers at the back. Forged aluminum 20-inch BBS wheels sit inside bespoke 265/35 front and 305/30 rear Bridgestone Potenza tires. There are four driving modes: automatic, normal, wet, and sport; the driver can also select manual shift speeds. In sport mode, the stability-control system allows for greater amounts of yaw, but the system can be switched off completely.

When it comes to the styling, there’s a definite Japanese aesthetic, what with all the sharp edges and matte-black vents. But it’s not a head turner like the Enzo or even a Lamborghini Gallardo. We definitely wouldn’t order one in matte black—one of 30 available colors—because it looks like someone forgot to paint it properly.

But there is function underpinning the somewhat sedate form. According to chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi, an advantage of using carbon fiber for the bodywork is that it’s possible to make very sharp edges and cutoffs that improve aerodynamic performance. The LFA has a reasonably low coefficient of drag (0.31), and Tanahashi says that the car produces more downforce than any of its competitors. Even the inside edges of the door mirrors are shaped to guide air into scoops over the rear fenders that feed the rear-mounted radiators. A large rear wing incorporating a Gurney flap pops up at speeds above 50 mph.

The interior is restrained but tasteful. The car we drove had a mixture of supple leather, carbon fiber, Alcantara, and “satin metal” adorning the cockpit. Lexus will offer seat coverings in 12 shades of leather or 10 alternate hues of Alcantara, with three color choices for the Alcantara headliner. “Roomy” describes the cabin, although luggage space is minimal. The supportive bucket seats have eight-way power adjustments, and the driving position is superb. The minor controls are as easy to find and use as in a standard Lexus sedan, and the LFA even has the same mouse-style operation for its multi­function center-console screen as in an RX350 sport-ute. Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

Jim Farley, Ford’s group VP of global marketing, didn’t have to fly to California for the debut of theMustang Boss 302. No one told him to. He came anyway.

“I’ve been driving my own Mustang right through the past two Michigan winters thinking about this project,” he says. “From a business standpoint, the Boss 302 shouldn’t have happened.

But it happened. My dream for the car was that it would make a lot of money for a guy street racing. It should be a car that winds up on YouTube doing something illegal. I’ve been waiting 20-plus years to launch a car like this.” The decision to resurrect the Boss 302 was made in the darkest days of the recession.
Is Ford brave or what? Especially since it’s so rare that offspring are able to match the feats of  legendary forebears, as Charlie Sheen can attest. To eke out of the Mustang GT’s engine a bonus 32 horses, Ford created a new intake manifold with runners resembling velocity stacks. Different cylinder heads were deployed—stronger alloy and altered ports—with each head undergoing 2.5 hours of CNC massaging. The camshafts offer increased lift, the intake valves are larger, the bearings are race-spec, and the baffled pan holds 8.5 quarts of synthetic oil.

The result is 444 horsepower at 7500 rpm, a happy medium between the Mustang GT’s 412 horses and the Shelby GT500’s 550. The Boss’s V-8—unlike the brutish Shelby’s—doesn’t so often overwhelm its chassis. In fact, what you first notice—and this is very BMW-ish—is that the Boss’s engine, driveline, and suspension draw virtually no attention to each others’ eccentricities. It lends the package a gratifying sense of unity that inspires confidence.

This V-8 is so vigorous and charismatic that its likeness ought to be carved on Mount Rushmore. The engine revs nearly as quickly as you can flex your right foot, feeling as if it displaces maybe three liters. What’s more, despite all that cam, it idles as smoothly as a Camry.

Sans traction control, launching the Boss takes some practice, although never has practice been so fun. Sidestep the clutch with too many revs, and you’ll trigger axle tramp followed by a cumulous cloud of Pirelli particulates that will only swell in size all the way through second gear. The trick is to slip the clutch from about 3500 rpm, then mat the throttle when the axle says, “Yeah, I’m feelin’ settled and relaxed back here.” The result is 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds—0.3 second quicker than the GT (or a Camaro SS) and only 0.2 second behind the jackhammer GT500. Once that live axle is placated . . . well, here’s the telltale statistic: From 5 to 60 mph, the Boss loses not an inch to the GT500 and is but 0.1 second behind a BMW M3. The accelerative kick flings sunglasses and coins and pens in the center bin backward against a plastic wall, sounding as if they’ve just hit the bottom of a ventilator shaft. Through the quarter-mile, the engine pulls like a Tennessee mule—no valleys, no holes—slingshotting the Boss 0.4 second ahead of the GT and only 1 mph behind the M3.

All of this is accompanied by a mellifluous, resonance-free exhaust note that is an unlikely aural confluence of, say, Lexus IS F and Roush/Yates Sprint Cup engine. It’s a four-way exhaust—two sewer pipes astern and one per side exiting just in front of the rear wheels. A restrictor plate in each side pipe lends the Boss federal pass-by legality, but the baffles can be unbolted in less time than it takes to read this review. It’s lucky that the rumble is so rich, because the engine is seriously loud at idle.

The Boss’s suspension has likewise benefited from a lavish labor of love. Compared with the GT, it boasts stiffer springs, a fatter rear stabilizer bar, new bushings, and 19-inch Pirelli P Zeros that, at the rear, are mounted on 9.5-inch-wide wheels. What’s more, each shock offers five settings that are adjustable via screwdriver, creating the possibility of very strange chassis behavior at the hands of very strange owners. Again, is Ford brave or what? And experimenting with dampers is educational, fun, and will make you feel like Parnelli Jones’s crew chief.

The steering rack is electrically assisted and can be toggled to comfort, standard, or sport modes. We preferred the standard setting, even at the track. The other modes did nothing more than alter effort. No matter. The steering was ever accurate, progressive, and informative, with peerless interstate tracking.

At the front, four-pot Brembos clamp 14-inch vented rotors. The pads are near-race-spec compounds, although they don’t squeal, and the brake lines have been hardened to prevent expansion. On the road, pedal feel proved sublime—fairly hard but bang-on linear—and it was a cinch to modulate braking right on the threshold of the ABS. Fade? None that we encountered either during testing or during nine-tenths lapping around Laguna Seca.

As a dance partner in the hills, the Boss eagerly goes all bossa nova, laying down its prodigious power with surprising smoothness. The chassis felt remarkably balanced, usually neutral, leaning toward power oversteer only in the tightest turns. Despite its super-quick transient responses, it never felt nervous. This Mustang is so agile, so responsive to delicate inputs, that it makes the GT500 feel like a FedEx truck. The Boss’s grip almost always exceeds the driver’s courage, so feel free to ignore our lateral-grip figure, recorded on a skidpad dusted with sand. What’s more, the ultra-short-throw shifter was an ally, although its gates are so close that a clumsy upshift from second will sometimes collect fifth.

Ford has forever treated its Mustangs as blue-collar contrivances of unprepossessing heritage. The cockpit thus remains dour and rudimentary, despite the synthetic-suede-wrapped steering wheel and the machine-turned aluminum trim. The acres of coarse, pebbled-plastic surfaces, in particular, would be (and have been) rejected in far less expensive machines, notably in Ford’s own Focus. The gaping voids between the tops of the rear tires and the rolled fender lips are eyesores. The steering column doesn’t telescope. And the brake and accelerator pedals should be closer together.

The base Boss fetches $40,995, and there is only one major option: a Torsen limited-slip differential and Recaro seats (packaged together and costing $1995), plus the so-called TracKey. If you’re headed for the track—and why wouldn’t you be?—then all three are mandatory. In total, 4000 examples will be assembled, which isn’t even half of the original Boss’s two-year production. That sum includes 3250 base Bosses and 750 Laguna Seca editions. Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com

2011 Ferrari 458 Challenge Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

At Ferrari’s annual dealer meeting in Maranello, the company provided a little surprise when it took the wraps off of its newest track star, the 458 Challenge.

The 458 Challenge, like the 430 Challenge before it, is the prancing stallion’s factory offering for its one-make Challenge race series.

And also like the car before it, the 458 Challenge is closely related to its roadgoing sibling, in this case, the458 Italia. Ferrari says that the Italia's 4.5-liter V-8 engine will remain in production tune, producing 562 hp when wound to a shrieking 9000 rpm. 

The torque curve, however, will look a bit different; Ferrari has tweaked the gear ratios and calibration of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to favor torque at lower engine speeds.

As is usually the case with any new Ferrari, whether it's a brand new model or a special edition, the 458 Challenge heaps on the technology. The electronic "E-Diff" differential, already in place on regular 458s, makes its debut in a Ferrari track car. 

A special race-oriented suspension is installed, wherein ride height is reduced by 1.2 inches, and Ferrari has cut weight by deploying carbon fiber and Lexan throughout the car. The 458 Challenge also adds new-generation Brembo brakes, which debuted on the 599XX, and Ferrari's trick F1-Trac traction-control system that allows drivers to select two specific track-biased settings for dry to wet conditions. 

According to Ferrari, these enhancements translate into a two-second improvement over the 430 Challenge when lapping its Fiorano test track.

So, who (amongst the obscenely wealthy) will have the opportunity to buy a 458 Challenge? Ferrari describes the car as being available to both professional and "gentlemen" drivers, but it is unavailable for street use, because what fun would it be to explore your new 562-hp mid-engine screamer on the interstate? Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com

2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

Visibility issues in the turret-like Chevy Camaro, well-documented in this journal, are now cured by simply ordering  the car without a lid.

The view from Lookout Mountain isn’t as commanding as the one from the long-awaited Camaro convertible—once its top is dropped. A rocker switch stationed near the rearview mirror puts the Camaro’s canvas in motion after you’ve released the single mechanical twist-handle anchoring the top to the windshield header.
The time it took the roof to Z-fold into the trunk seemed longer than the past election season, until we timed it: 17.7 seconds, which is actually quicker than some of those German android hardtops, including the BMW 3-series’.
The Camaro’s roof is a cleanly stitched canvas ceiling that hides its joints and spars within a thick, sound-absorbent headliner. Erect, it is almost as smooth and taut as a timpani head, and it’s a decent facsimile of the coupe’s rakishly slippery steel top—blind spots included.

Folded, the top crams into a well in the trunk, mostly lying below the horizontal plane formed by  the Camaro’s body. A couple of stray shin bones stick up, but those can be hidden by the included tonneau cover, whose many  tabs and flaps take some wrestling to put into place.

A fabric curtain in the trunk ensures that the top doesn’t collide with cargo, and it must be in place before the roof will move. About a quarter of  the small, 10.2-cubic-foot trunk is lost to the top, leaving just enough space for half a pro golf bag. Figure on playing only nine holes that day.

Chevy is proud of the Camaro’s stiffness, claiming torsional rigidity that tops that of the 3-series convertible. Aside from some distinct quivers up the steering column, the Camaro’s structure feels adequately sound. Usually convertible versions get a softer suspension to absorb more bumps and make life easier for the compromised structure. Ford does it on theMustang, for example.

But the topless Camaro—which has extra bracing linking the front shock towers, supporting the transmission, bridging the prop-shaft tunnel, and tying the front and rear subframes to the unibody—has the exact same spring and shock tune as the coupe, says Chevy. So we weren’t surprised to find as much lateral grip (0.90 g on the skidpad) and steering that feels the same as the coupe’s: quick and a bit lifeless.

The penalty is weight: a burdensome 246 pounds more than the hardtop Camaro SS (compared with the 174-pound gain of the Mustang GT’s convertible conversion). The topless Chevy’s punch-out times are thus delayed. The 60-mph mark arrives 0.3 second slower, at 4.9 seconds. A standing quarter-mile is covered in 13.4 seconds, almost a half-second longer than in the coupe.

But the opportunity to enjoy the popping and sniffling of the 426-hp LS3’s exhaust through the open air on a warm evening  will be well worth the price to some.

Speaking of  which, expect to pay an extra $5700 or so for the SS droptop privilege. Fully optioned SS convertibles reach into the mid-40s. Markets may crash, currencies may flutter, and reality-TV stars will come from New Jersey  to make us all look ridiculous, but America will always be exceptional as long as it has convertibles. Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com

2011 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

Sun-sopped Andalusia, home to Picasso and the flamenco, is a solitary landscape of rolling cordovan-hued hills stitched by vineyards and olive orchards and best explored on the back of a donkey. At 204 mph, Andalusia sprays at you in a brown and green smear.

At 204 mph, even freshly rolled pavement, paid for with lavish European Union loans, feels perilously lumpy as the subtle mounds and sags that are invisible at sane speeds become terrifying whoop-de-dos.

At 204 mph, if you look down to check your speedometer for just one second, you’ll miss the next 299 feet. Our cerebral cortexes flirt with signal overload at 204, but a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is just getting its wind up and will accelerate another 54 mph before tripping its electronic speed limiter. Drop-down oxygen masks and lighted placards over the emergency exits just might make this thing FAA certifiable.

Apparently, it’s because the regular Veyron is such a pansy jellyfish of a car that Bugatti brings forth the Super Sport. The model will be the last word in Veyrons, representing the final 40 cars in a total production run of 300. Price: one hundred thousand trillion billion dollars, or it might as well be.

For the $2,426,904 a Super Sport costs (at the time of this printing), you could also buy 10 Ferrari 458 Italias and have $127,654 left over for lunch. In its quest to build the ultimate stroke job for the super-rich, the Molsheim operatives don’t seem very concerned with pragmatic constraints such as fiscal prudence or, indeed, the laws of physics.

For example, the Super Sport needed more than just another 20 horsepower to separate itself from the $1.7 million rental-fleet Veyron with its piddly 1001 ponies. Why not another thou? Bugatti probably considered it. But it was decreed that a 20 percent bump in output, to 1200 horsepower and 1106 pound-feet of torque isgenug. Enough. So say the Germans who run Volkswagen’s crazy-bus subsidiary, and they don’t say that very often.

Consider these facts: Bugatti prices the Super Sport at 1.65 million euros and will charge the 10 to 12 expected American buyers based on the spot exchange rate. Thus, if the dollar softens by a mere cent against the euro, the car’s window sticker jumps more than $16,000.

Every U.S. Super Sport buyer also pays a 2.71 percent import duty, or about $62,000, plus a $51,000 delivery charge and $6400 in federal gas-guzzler tax. Adding an extra year to a regular Veyron’s two-year factory warranty costs about $70,000, though Super Sport buyers get it free.

A set of the Super Sport’s special Michelin tires costs $42,000 and may last 10,000 miles if you’re careful, though they last only 15 minutes at the car’s top speed (at that pace, however, the 26.4-gallon tank is sucked dry in just 10 minutes, and there’s no place on Earth to safely go that fast that long anyway, so no worries). At the third tire replacement, Michelin requires that you also swap out the $69,000 wheels—coincidentally, the only wheels that fit those tires—to ensure a proper bead seal.

Personal touches are available, such as your own initials instead of Ettore Bugatti’s etched into the gas cap. One customer paid for illuminated doorsills with “words that can’t be repeated,” said a Bugatti staffer. If you want the Super Sport’s body finished in clear-coated carbon fiber instead of paint, add $428,180—just a bit more than the price of a new Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé.

Let’s be blunt: This car is completely mental. At the Super Sport drive in the dusty hills near Jerez de la Frontera, even its chief engineer, Wolfgang Schreiber, admitted that it’s easier to find an honest hedge fund-manager than places to use 1001 horsepower, let alone 1200.

“Most of our customers drive very normal. Actually, slow,” said Schreiber. “So we needed changes you could see and feel at any speed.”

Since 2005, Bugatti has put 243 Veyrons into customer hands, enough to constitute a focus group of sorts. According to Schreiber, the buyers say they would like a skosh more edge to the car’s handling. We feel their pain. Every Veyron we’ve encountered has accelerated like a line drive off the cricket bat of Shiva but has steered no better than your average Lexus. Perhaps that’s why that guy in Texas made Youtube history by driving his into a lagoon. Either that or he is just an idiot.

Whatever. Bugatti says the Super Sport embodies everything it has learned about the Veyron and its customers over five years. No, it doesn’t come with an inflatable dinghy, but the revised shock tuning and stiffer sway bars do help to elevate the driver’s connection and involvement. The nose dives for turns with far more enthusiasm, and body motion is better controlled, giving the pilot a clearer sense of where the threshold lies between acing a fast corner and flying off into low orbit. Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com 

2012 Audi TT RS Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

We invite you to consider the following postulate: the Audi TT RS is a backwards Porsche 911 Turbo.

We submit the following evidence: Each one comes with all-wheel drive and turbocharging, both offer two-plus-two seating, and in the case of our Euro-spec TT RS, both can be had with seven-speed dual-clutch gearboxes with launch control.
Launch control is largely responsible for the 911 Turbo’s and the TT RS’s stupefying, almost unbelievable 0-to-60 times. Stupefying and unbelievable applies not just to the times posted by these cars, but to the experience of launching them as well. A violent jolt occurs as the power is delivered to each tire, and then they shoot forward so quickly that your vision becomes slightly hazy.
At the track, a 911 Turbo can clip off 2.9-second 0-to-60 times (2.7 seconds for the Turbo S). The TT RS isn’t far behind, at 3.6 seconds—nearly as quick as the 3.5-second time posted by the previous-generation 911 Turbo and just 0.2 second behind the best time we’ve seen from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. So how is the TT RS backwards? The 911 Turbo dangles its flat-six behind the rear wheels, while the TT’s five cylinders hang over the front wheels. Look, one of these cars is backwards; you decide which one.

Viewed as an alternative to the $136,450 911 Turbo, the TT RS’s estimated base price of $60,000 actually looks like a bit of a bargain. But if you consider the TT RS as the most powerful version of the $19,765 Volkswagen Golf upon which it is loosely based, that price may strike you as less so. Either way, when the TT RS arrives in the U.S. this fall, there won’t be many of them. Audi is planning on shipping fewer than 1000 to us over two years.

A Tough Decision

None of the U.S. cars will have the dual-clutch transmission. Because of the tiny volume being imported, Audi’s American arm had to choose only one transmission: either a six-speed manual or the seven-speed dual-clutch. They went with the manual, which doesn’t have launch control. But, our TT RS will have 25 more horsepower than the base European version, for a total of 360. (Europe is likely to get an option package that will boost its car to our horsepower total.) We anticipate that the extra horses won’t make up for the launch control’s advantage, and predict a 0-to-60 time of 4.5 seconds with the manual.

According to the Audi folk, software tuning is responsible for the additional power. All of the hardware on the 2.5-liter inline-five and the turbocharger remains identical to the European version. The engine emits a characteristic five-cylinder thrum, but it revs easily and builds power so quickly that it had us thinking ’80s Audi Quattro rally car, not Volkswagen Jetta. From outside the car, the large oval-shaped exhaust tips discharge a brutal and deep sound that also recalls Audi’s rally-car heritage.

Although the TT RS won’t hang its tail out the way Audi’s rally cars would, the TT RS is supremely adept at unwinding corners. Pushed to its limits, the TT RS will eventually understeer, but up to that point there’s just grip. Magnetorheological shocks offer excellent wheel control, there’s very little body roll, and the car wears a wide 255/35-19 Toyo Proxes T1 Sport tire at every corner. Turns are taken with such ease and drama-free competence that it’s possible to fly over even unfamiliar roads; just point and shoot. The steering effort is high, but the wheel lacks the lively feel of a Porsche Cayman’s, a car that costs about $8000 less than the TT RS likely will.

A Temperamental Maniac

Put this Audi on a boring stretch of straight road and it will make its discontent known—loudly. The large wheels hum, the exhaust drones, and the engine buzzes. It managed a respectable 69 decibels at 70 mph, but it was 69 decibels of pure annoyance.

It might not be the easiest car to live with on a freeway, but take the TT RS to a twisted road and it suddenly becomes very easy to live with. Come to think of it, 911 Turbos are pretty noisy too. Apparently making one go backwards doesn’t make it any quieter. Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com

2011 Audi TTS Coupe Specs, Pics, Prices and Reviews

Audi’s climb up the luxury ladder to a full-bore, take-’em-seriously competitor to BMW and Mercedes has been powered by volume models like the A4 and A6 sedans and Q5 crossover, but the first-generation Audi TT certainly helped the brand skip a few rungs.

The sexy coupe and roadster had many noticing the four-ringed brand for the first time, and it’s already regarded as an icon of automotive design.

If the second-gen TT’s styling hasn’t taken a leap forward—although it’s still pretty stunning to behold—its performance certainly has, moving the car toward actual sports-car territory for the first time. The transformation was finally completed with the introduction of the 2010 TTS. Two hundred and sixty-five horsepower can do that.
Now it’s the base model’s turn to play. With the disappearance of the 3.2-liter V-6 from the TT’s engine options last year, the 2.0T model got some room to breathe. As such, the entry-level 2011 TT gets an improved version of the 2.0-liter EA888 turbocharged TFSI four-cylinder. The valve lift on the exhaust side is now variable, and horsepower rises from 200 to 211. More important, however, is that torque takes a huge leap from 207 lb-ft to a lofty 258. As with the 2010 TT lineup, the only drivetrain available in the U.S. pairs Quattro with the S tronic dual-clutch automated manual. Audi expects the 2011 2.0T coupe to knock at least 0.3 second off the previous 0-to-60 time. We clocked a 2009 2.0T Quattro with S tronic to 60 in 5.7 seconds, so look for something in the 5.4-second range.

The rest of the package remains the same as before, which means you get a fantastic interior with supremely comfortable seats and nicely weighted steering. Of course, 60 or so percent of the car’s weight over the front axle means a good dollop of understeer, but the Quattro system sorts out what adjusting the angle of your right foot can’t.

Knockin’ on the TTS Door

The engine is of course the news. The real-world difference between the old and new 2.0-liter TFSI is not earth shattering, but it is definitely noticeable, with horsepower and torque peaks available at lower rpm. Previously, maximum torque was available at 1700 rpm, whereas the new engine delivers its 258 lb-ft from 1600 rpm. Peak horsepower is available from 4300 rpm, as opposed to 5100 before. As such, engine response is even more dynamic, a characteristic helped by the newly variable lift on the exhaust valves. In fact, the regular TT is now so responsive and delivers so much low-end oomph that it feels eerily similar to the TTS, which you may notice also offers 258 lb-ft of torque, albeit at a higher 2500 rpm. (For 2011, the TTS carries over its 265-hp, 2.0-liter turbo four, although it’s based on the older EA113 architecture.) The TTS remains the quicker car, but the gap has narrowed significantly. The 2.0 TFSI is quite quick—it doesn’t feel much slower than the 332-hp, V-6–toting Nissan 370Z, which we’ve tested to 60 anywhere from 4.6 to 5.1 seconds, depending on transmission. But really, the 2011 TT 2.0T outclasses just about every other four-cylinder coupe we’ve driven.

What’s more, the TT also now looks like a TTS if you spec the optional S line package. The TTS differentiates itself only with some aluminum strips in the grille, as well as a strange horizontal bar that runs through the massive lower air intakes and terminates into round fog lights. The extra cost of the TTS delivers some bragging rights: A TTS coupe clocked a 4.8-second sprint to 60 in our hands, so there’s that. But the bottom line is that we don’t think the TTS delivers enough extra to justify the price difference between the two models, which is likely to remain close to the $8000 to $10,000 it was for 2010. Of course, Audi won’t let this rest. We’re already detecting rumbles of a 300-hp, EA888-based turbocharged 2.0-liter for the TTS, and that should sort out the pecking order in a hurry.

We’re also hearing that the 340-hp TT RS could finally make it here as Audi resurrects plans to offer RS cars to U.S. customers, which would complete a very compelling TT lineup. The TT RS, a 300-hp TTS, and now this new, even better 2011 base model? Sounds good to us.

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 3-door hatchback

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $38,000

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 121 cu in, 1984 cc
Power (SAE net): 211 bhp @ 4300 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 258 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed dual-clutch automated manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 97.2 in Length: 164.8 in
Width: 72.5 in Height: 53.2 in (coupe)
Curb weight: 3200 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST): 
Zero to 60 mph: 5.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.2 sec

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 21/29 mpg

Learn More...

Source : http://www.caranddriver.com