Motoring News
Yesterday, 08 December 20162016 Porsche Panamera Turbo review
A smaller engine doesn't prevent the new Porsche Panamera Turbo being a ridiculously quick and capable sporting GT. We've driven it in the UK
The 1980s. A decade when everything from hairdryers to stereos - crikey, probably even Stannah Stairlifts - had 'turbo' emblazoned across it, and of course, many cars did too.The most iconic ‘turboisation’ of them all was arguably Porsche’s. And even today, a ‘Turbo’ decal bolted to the back of a Porsche AG product creates a buzz. Welcome then, the new Porsche Panamera Turbo. What’s new exactly? Typically there’s more power, despite downsizing the V8 from 4.8- to 4.0-litres. That’s due to the installation of two new twin-scroll turbos. Porsche says that being mounted centrally in the vee makes them more responsive. Cylinder deactivation – so eight-cylinders becomes four on light throttle – makes it more responsible, too, saving petrol and CO2s. As does the fact this engine weighs 9.5kg less than the old one, which presumably, also helps the handling.Underneath the aluminium-clad body resides the VW Group’s MSB platform, sprouting double wishbones at the front, and a multilink arrangement at the rear. On the Turbo, that’s all controlled by standard adaptive dampers and revised air suspension, containing three air chambers per strut, instead of the traditional two. This means extra cushioning, for improved comfort.
read moreMaxing a Porsche 911 Turbo S at Nardo
We grab the rare opportunity to lap the iconic Nardo test track in Italy
What top speed makes a car properly fast these days? While 150mph was the preserve of the very swiftest of sports cars when I was growing up, most of today's hotter hatchbacks will now hit that figure. So 170mph? In 2016, that’s Porsche Boxster territory.
What about the double-tonne? Two hundred miles an hour still seems like a crazy figure to me, one that is only really achievable in a handful of places within the UK by a tiny number of cars.
Thankfully, Porsche has a couple of things that make hitting that figure a lot easier. One of those is the 911 Turbo S and the other is a place called Nardo. Does the name ring a bell? Think Jaguar XJ220, RUF Yellowbird and chasing absolute top speed.
If you don’t yet hear any jingling, Nardo is a test facility located in the heel of Italy (geography was never my strong point) that has various tracks to allow manufacturers to thoroughly thrash their cars before a buying customer ever sees their prospective purchase in the metal.
Originally opened by Fiat in 1975, it was purchased by Porsche in 2012. There’s an FIA-approved handling circuit, skidpans, vicious bumps and plenty of other fun st
read moreUpdated Elemental RP1 road car produces 1000kg of downforce
Ex-McLaren Formula 1 designer worked with Elemental to produce new aerodynamic pack that more than doubles downforce
The Elemental RP1 now produces 1000kg of downforce thanks to new bodywork developed in conjunction with ex-McLaren Formula 1 aerodynamicist Mark Taylor.
The updates come in the form of an aerodynamic pack, which more than doubles the RP1’s downforce at 150mph from 400kg to 1000kg. The McLaren P1, by comparison, produces 600kg at 161mph.
“When Elemental asked me to take a look at the car, straight away I could see there was bags of potential,” said Taylor, who is now founder and managing director of London Computational Solutions. “I could see that it would be easy to double the 400kg figure.”
Taylor worked with Mark Fowler, aerodynamics director for Elemental, using computational fluid (CFD) to test all aspects of the car’s aero package. The technique is used by F1 teams, and enabled them to test and develop the car’s aerodynamic package in significantly less time than before.
“What people using CFD typically do is model equations, but we don’t model the turbulence, we resolve it,” explained Taylor. “Because of that we get a much more realistic flow that’s much closer to the real thing. It’s a more expensive option as you have to use bigger supercomputers but it means we’re faster.”
Fowler explained that the resulting efficiency meant several
read moreMercedes G-Wagen in the Highlands: an off-road journey from coast to coast
More power for the hatch, all-wheel drive and DSG for the updated wagon
read moreBugatti Chiron production stepped up to meet demand
With over 200 orders now placed, production is being ramped up in 2017 to bring the waiting time down from the current three years
Bugatti Chiron production is being stepped up next year as the waiting list for new orders has eclipsed more than three years before any customers have even test driven the new hypercar.
The Bugatti Veyron replacement was unveiled at the 2016 Geneva motor show and more than 200 orders have now been placed. The Chiron has 1479bhp, can reach 62mph in less than 2.5sec - despite weighing 1995kg - and has a maximum top speed of 261mph. It costs €2.4 million (about £2.0m) plus taxes.
“Demand has been incredible and these are not the kind of customers who like to wait too long for a new car,” said Bugatti boss Wolfgang Dürheimer. “We will step production up next year to bring the wait down, but there is only so much we can do. Traditionally, we have manufactured one car a week. Next year, the total for the year will be around 65.”
Drives for potential customers will begin next March, and Dürheimer anticipates the full production run of 500 standard Chirons selling out shortly afterwards. “We have many prospects who are keen to know more and wavering on putting down a deposit. My feeling is that after driving the car, most will buy one.”
The largest order of Chirons by a single individual is six. It was placed by a customer who was buying a car for himself and as gifts for other mem
read more2016 Vauxhall Adam 1.0i Turbo Unlimited review
The 1.0-litre turbo engine and Unlimited trim combine to make this the best Adam in the line-up
What do a Vauxhall Adam and a Ferrari Enzo have in common? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t a 6.0-litre V12. It’s that both cars are named after their founders, sort of. Naturally, Vauxhall’s entry into the style-led supermini class is sold in mainland Europe as an Opel, a company founded by a chap called Adam.To draw in the kind of fashionistas that like to see their new car as a blank canvas, Unlimited trim allows you to pick from any of the dizzying array of personalisation options on offer, avoiding the limitations that other variants have. That means you can pick your body, roof, mirror cap and grille bar colour; choose the wheel size and design; add external decals; and pick seat fabric and dashboard inserts. You still have to pay extra for most of that, though.Mechanically, it’s exactly as before. In the case of our test car, there’s a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine bolted to a six-speed manual gearbox. Cheaper, naturally aspirated 1.4s and 1.2s are also on offer, should you not require all 113bhp of three-pot fury.
read moreHot Lamborghini Aventador S on the way
Lamborghini's current Aventador (pictured) will be replaced in January, and the new car will gain an Aventador S variant
An invite to the launch of the next Lamborghini Aventador confirms the model’s existence – there’s an even hotter one on the way too
An even hotter Lamborghini Aventador called the Aventador S is on the cards, according to recent patent applications discovered by Autocar.
This follows an invite to Autocar, which confirms the facelifted Aventador will launch in January next year.
Although no pictures have been provided of the car with the invitation, the text does describe the updates to the car, which has been given “new design, superior power and a mix of advanced technologies”.
The Aventador is approaching the middle of its life cycle, having been introduced in 2011, so the styling changes are likely to be a thorough refresh, as opposed to a complete overhaul.
The new Aventador’s launch will take place at the Ricardo Tormo Formula 1 track, where the car’s ‘active technology’ can be experienced. This suggests a new raft of driver aids, although a Lamborghini spokesman couldn’t add any detail to what would feature on the new model.
The Aventador S is likely to receive a state of tune akin to the Centenario – 759bhp, while the current Aventador has 691bhp, both from the same 6.5-litre V12. It's also likely that the Aventador S will inherit the Centenario's rear-wh
read more2018 Lexus LS saloon confirmed for Detroit motor show
Lexus LF-FC concept
Lexus’s new luxury car, based on the LF-FC concept, will be available with hydrogen fuel cell technology in 2019
A new range-topping Lexus LS saloon will be launched at the Detroit motor show in January before going on sale in 2018.
It'll then be launched with the option of hydrogen power in 2019, as the firm looks to capitalise on the leadership in fuel cell technology established by the Toyota Mirai of its parent company.
Lexus’s rival to the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ and Mercedes-Benz S-Class will be based heavily on the LF-FC concept car that was unveiled at the Tokyo motor show in 2015. The LS is also expected to be sold with the choice of a V8 hybrid powertrain producing around 535bhp.
Lexus Europe boss Alain Uyttenhoven said: “We know how to make fuel cells and the only challenge is how to package a fuel cell in a car that also needs a certain level of performance.” He did not confirm plans for the LS, however. “Premium buyers have certain expec
read more2017 Lexus LC 500 Sport+ review
A mainstream Lexus like no other we’ve driven before: delicate, fun and fast
It’s hard not to stare at the Lexus LC, the latest - and most striking of all - in a series of challenging designs from the firm intended to make lovers and haters stop and ask, “What’s going on with Lexus?” The answer is a not so quiet revolution, and it reaches something of a crescendo with the launch of this sports car-cum-GT, available with V8 or hybrid power.The root of this wholesale shift from quiet, eminently rational brand to one that is wilfully edgy, even shouty, stems from the ambitions of Akio Toyoda, who you might recall is company chairman, has direct Toyota family lineage and who has made it his personal mission to make his companies more interesting.Hence for Lexus the appointment of a former chief designer - designer, not engineer, not marketeer, certainly not a spreadsheet jockey - as the boss of the brand, an all-new platform architecture, codenamed GA-L and having its debut here, and the decision to turn 2012's LF-LC concept car, which was created as a styling concept with no production ambitions, into a reality. It’s fair to say plenty of eggs have been broken to make this omelette.Not unreasonably, that might be a bit confusing; Lexus was, after all, the firm that launched with the LS 25 years ago, with a pledge to out S-Class the S-Class. It has done a pretty good - if rarely remarkable - job of battling the Big Three Germans over the years, largely on the merits of waftability and customer service. Laudable qualities they may be, and they are not goals about to be abandoned, for a new LS arrives sometime around 2018. But now the time is
read moreHardcore Lexus LC F could use hybrid powertrain
Lexus LC500h
It's yet to be given the go-ahead, but hybrid technology would be an interesting choice for a faster model, according to Lexus's chief engineer
A hardcore, hybrid-powered Lexus LC F sports car could be developed in the future - although insiders say the project has yet to be given the green light.
The new LC500 and LC500h - the former powered by a 467bhp V8, the latter using a 354bhp V6 coupled to an electric motor and hybrid system - are set to launch in the UK next autumn. Rivals include the Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type, Maserati GT and BMW 6 Series, although Lexus describes the car as having long-distance GT cruising capabilities.
The car was developed with the express intent of highlighting Lexus’s sporting credentials and a new focus on dynamic capability, leading to speculation that an F model was inevitable. However, Koji Sato, Lexus’s chief engineer, denied such a project was under way but conceded that the hybrid technology could be more interesting if the project was approved.
“Everyone is expecting an F model, but right now we are not sure,”
read morePeugeot 3008 Special
News
8 Dec, 2016
You complete, in-depth guide to the new Peugeot 3008 from sketchbook to showroom...
read moreHighland fling: coast to coast without touching tarmac
More power for the hatch, all-wheel drive and DSG for the updated wagon
read more2017 Suzuki Swift front end revealed in leaked image
An image of the 2017 Suzuki Swift has leaked online, showing its complete, undisguised front styling; the new supermini expected to share its engines with the Baleno
The 2017 Suzuki Swift has been leaked in an image that has surfaced on a car-leak-themed Facebook page.
Although it's fairly grainy, the image reveals the car's complete front-end styling, which matches design sketches that leaked out from Suzuki earlier this year. It also shows the body beneath the camouflage of the test car that we spotted a few months ago.
Just like those images, the production car has a dominant front grille with a body-coloured strip across it, swept-back headlights and what appear to be the diamond-cut alloy wheels depicted in the leaked design sketches.
The stubby length of the door and the same design features as the leaked sketches suggest that this is a five-door Swift and further fuel speculation that the next Swift will be a five-door only.
Suzuki's next Swift is slated to share engines with the Baleno and
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