Range Rover hybrid on UK roads

Hybrids work well in the official fuel tests, but in real life their economy numbers tend to fall flat. So my friend just done three tankfuls end-to-end in a Range Rover hybrid, all over Southern England, in pretty well all sorts of driving.

Slightly against his expectations, the powertrain made a case for itself. We tend to get about 27mpg from the V6, and 23-ish from the V8. He got 27.2 (the computer claimed 28.5) out of the hybrid. And the hybrid is pretty well as quick as the V8.

So that's the hook: V6 economy, V8 performance. The price is the same as the V8 too by the way.

Does an 18% improvement in economy actually matter to an owner of a car so expensive? Nope. But the 60-70 miles extra tank range is nice. And he liked the way the consumption is predictable: very much the same in town, motorway and country driving.

It works by sandwiching an electric motor between the engine and the eight-speed auto, so once the engine is running it feels like the standard V6, just with an extra dose of immediate torque. But the engine can be declutched, so the car can coast if you lift off even at motorway speed with the e-motor to nudge it along.

And in town, you can often go a few hundred yards with the engine off. No, the electric power doesn't get you very far or very fast, but in gummy city traffic it still amounts to quite a lot of time.

And that's the thing. The best thing about this Range Rover is its urban refinement. In London the trip computer said the engine was switched off for up to 40% of the time, and then it's properly silent, smooth luxury travel.

The regenerative braking is well integrated: pedal travel and weight remain pretty consistent, though sometimes there's a small click at the top of the pedal.

He wonders if the extra 150kg makes a difference? It rolls more than remembered in corners and just felt a little more ungainly. Certainly an RR Sport is lighter on its feet. Remember, this is a ruddy vast car and he wasn't hanging about, which makes the real-world 27mpg so impressive.

How big? Down in the west country, it utterly filled the lanes. London width restrictors are a pain, multi-storeys intimidating. The cliche that Range Rovers are driven by the inattentive must be wrong: it takes finely honed spatial skills to operate one in London.

So the hybrid still feels as comfy and smooth-riding and imperious as Range Rovers always feel. It certainly isn't any sort of sacrificial experience.

New Nissan Sunny

Not very long ago, Nissan announced its line-up for the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo. The list read something like this: Friend-ME Concept, GT-R GT500, improved Evalia, accesorised Terrano, and the new Nissan Sunny. Now of course, when Nissan says 'new', it means refreshed. And with less than 10 days to go for the Auto Expo, Nissan has launched a freshened-up version of the Sunny in Thailand.

Okay, so it's sold as the 'Almera', and not the 'Sunny', over in Thailand, but  barring the name, it's still the exact same car that we get here in India. Which is what leads us to believe that this refreshed version is also the car that Nissan will bring to the Auto Expo next month.

So, to the changes. Up front are new headlamps, a tweaked grille, a more angular front bumper with a redesigned air dam and reshaped foglamp housings, changes that bring the Sunny a lot closer to the bigger Altima in terms of appearance. It gets new 15-inch alloys, with ORVM-mounted turn indicators available as an optional accessory, and at the back, Nissan has placed a spoiler on the bootlid, altered the tail-lamps a bit, and has fitted a new, sportier-looking bumper.

Inside, the Sunny gets a new three-spoke steering wheel, a new instrument cluster, a 6.1-inch touchscreen that houses the satnav and entertainment functions (and is Bluetooth-enabled as well), with the centre console now being finished in 'Piano Black' trim. The top-spec version also gets a rear view camera.

There are absolutely no changes made to the engine or gearbox options whatsoever, and we expect Nissan to continue with the same 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines and five-speed manual/CVT gearboxes for India. What will be interesting to see, though, is whether Nissan provides the new 'idling stop' system that our Thai compatriots get with the new Sunny. 

According to Nissan, this system shuts off the engine whenever the car comes to a dead halt in a bid to maximise fuel efficiency. All electrical systems stay operational, but the compressor cuts out the engine. A prod on the accelerator should fire it up again, and Nissan mentions that the system will automatically restart the engine if the car is at a standstill for more than three minutes. We'd quite like to see how this works in our daily traffic grind.

The competition in the segment is hotting up, and we think Nissan will only marginally increase prices for the refreshed Sunny when it is introduced here in less than two weeks' time.

Chevrolet Adra

Chevrolet is working on a compact SUV concept which will be displayed for the first time at the upcoming Auto Expo 2014 in Delhi.This new concept will be called the Chevrolet Adra and it is likely to be based on General Motors’ global small-vehicle platform, also called Gamma 2.

 

GM India currently has no plans to bring the Trax, the smallest SUV in Chevrolet’s global SUV line-up, to India. Designed with the European customer in mind, the Trax is 4.2 metres long. This means it won’t qualify for the excise benefits here, and can’t be priced competitively. 

 

The new Chevrolet Adra will be pegged against the Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster. It is likely to be powered by the same 77bhp 1.3-litre diesel engine from the Chevrolet Sail and Enjoy.

Chevrolet will also showcase the face-lifted Beat at the Expo, which features new bumpers and mirrors, and re-profiled head- and tail-lights. Sharing stall space will be a Beat finished in Manchester United colours, the seven-seat Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV, the all-new Corvette C7 Stingray (unveiled at the 2013 Detroit motor show) and the Chevrolet Camaro. 

Mercedes C-class grand edition

Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz is taking its 'Year of Excellence' initiative in all earnest and after recently launching the latest avatar of its flagship S-class luxury saloon, the company has now launched a C-class Grand Edition, to commemorate the 50,000th car produced from its Chakan facility. Merc's entry-level saloon here is set to be replaced soon by the next-generation car which was officially revealed at the 2014 Detroit motor show.  

The Mercedes-Benz C-class Grand Edition gets an AMG styling kit on the outside with front and rear aprons, side sills, 17-inch alloys with AMG hub caps and chrome tailpipes. The 'Grand Edition' badging appears on the wings. On the inside, it comes with a new brushed aluminium trim and in terms of features, the multi-function colour display now gets satellite navigation, and there's a new panoramic sunroof, in addition to the kit on the standard car. 

Neither the petrol nor the diesel C-class Grand Edition see any changes mechanically and the C 220 CDI continues to be powered by a 167bhp 2,143cc turbo-diesel engine while the C 200 CGI retains the 186bhp, 1,796cc four-cylinder motor. 

The Grand Edition is available on the C-class 220 CDI, priced at Rs 39.16 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune), and the Blue Efficiency C 200 for Rs 36.81 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom, Pune). 

New Ford global concept car

Ford is to take the covers off its new global concept car at the 2014 Auto Expo. Teaser images of the car sent by the company reveal a headlight and grille section that is in line with current Ford styling. The hexagonal Aston Martin-like grille is clearly visible as are the elongated headlights that flank it. This future vision for the compact car segment is aimed at buyers in developing markets. Ford says this car has been created to serve the specific needs of Indian customers.

While the nose of the car looks similar to that of the Ford Ka concept which was showcased in Brazil, the car is not identical as Ford continues to call this a 'new global concept'. A new rear section could be on the cards though.

Interestingly, Ford’s plan for this new car seems to be similar to that employed for its very successful EcoSport – tease the car at the Expo, launch it a year later and enjoy the spoils. While the momentum is clearly on its side, Ford is unlikely to have as good a batting wicket as it did with the EcoSport. This car will not be the only one in its segment, so Ford will really have to put its shoulder to the wheel.

Audi's new traffic light system

For anyone who's ever driven in a large city, red lights quickly become a massive annoyance.

However, Audi is developing a system that could spell the end of red lights for drivers.

It is testing a system known as 'Traffic Light Assist' that shows drivers exactly how far away their next red is - helping they time their drive to minimise stopping.

Audi's latest feature will tell drivers when traffic lights are about to change - and warn if you're about to run a red light.

HOW IT WORKS

Information from the traffic light systems is transmitted to the car and shown on the dashboard - or eventually on a heads up display.

When combined with the motion sensors and speed information from the car, drivers can be told exactly how to avoid stopping at red lights.

It shows the driver the speed to select in order to reach the next traffic light during a green phase. 

Acoustic signals also warn the driver in advance of red lights. 

The display, in the dashboard in front of drivers, shows a traffic light icon  with a countdown timer that reads the number of seconds before a light changes from red to green.

The system, is linked into a city's electronic traffic light network, and can even take into account lane changes.

Local data from city councils who install smart traffic lights, and motion sensors in the car are used to to predict exactly how long it'll be until the green light goes red.

Audi has been testing the new technology in Ingolstadt and Berlin in Germany, as well as in Verona, Italy, and also set it up in Las Vegas for the CES show. 

In the traffic light phase assistant project in Frankfurt, 20 traffic light systems in the vicinity of Frankfurt am Main were retrofitted so that the test fleet could communicate with them.

Audi also showed off their new Sport Quattro Concept car during the Audi keynote at the International Consumer Electronics Show, which features laser headlights

'The goal of developers was to achieve the most efficient flow of traffic in metropolitan areas,' said Audi.

'Information from the traffic light systems is transmitted to the car and visualized as graphic images on the driver information system display. 

'They show the driver the speed to select in order to reach the next traffic light during a green phase. Acoustic signals also warn the driver in advance of red phases. '

Audi claims the traffic light info online enables CO2 reductions of up to 15 percent. 

how the system could work: Audi says it hopes smart cruise control could be integrated so automatically set the car's speed

'In sum, this would be equivalent to about 900 million liters (237.75 million US gallons) of fuel per year, if this technology were to be implemented throughout Germany,' it claims.

Over the course of the six-month test phase, a total of 500 test drivers in 120 cars and three motorcycles covered a total of 1.65 million kilometers (1.03 million miles). 

The vehicles were networked with one another via specially developed radio transmission equipment and via a traffic control center to inform drivers of traffic conditions and hazards.

Could this be the new Toyota Supra?

Greetings everyone!


Toyota pulled the first surprise of the Detroit Motor Show by unwrapping the FT-1. It's a serious high-end sports car. Beautiful too.

Unfortunately it's only a concept and they're being a bit cagey about whether it will go into production. On the other hand they have made a virtual FT-1 too, and from tomorrow you can download and drive it onGran Turismo 6.

The new Corvette Z06

Greetings everyone!

Chevrolet has announced that the brand-new Corvette Z06 will deliver "at least" 625bhp, which is an unsubtle but effective way of saying the brand-new Corvette Z06 is "really bloody powerful".

That power gain is significant, because not only is it more than the sixth generation Z06, but it's almost as powerful as the last-gen ZR1 - that's the halo car. And this power comes from a supercharged engine; a first for a Z06.

Tata Movus

Greetings everyone!

Tata Motors is planning to re-launch the Sumo Grande MUV as the Tata Movus. Cosmetically, the Tata Movus will come with refreshed interiors, which will include a slightly altered dashboard, and captain seats on the top variant. While the exteriors are expected to get ‘variCOR’ branding on the rear fenders.

Mechanically, the Movus will employ the same 2.2-litre ‘VariCOR’ diesel engine that powers the Tata Safari Storme but, the motor will be detuned to make around 118bhp, compared to the Storme’s 138bhp. In the interest of saving costs, Tata Motors will fit the Movus with single-pot calipers instead of dual-pots and the MUV will run on smaller, 15-inch tyres.

The Movus will be available in three variants, with the CX being the base, LX the middle and EX the top. The base CX trim will not be equipped with an air-conditioner for which, you will have to choose the LX trim. Both CX and LX trims will feature the old car’s dashboard design. The top EX variant gets a revised cabin, with refreshed air-con controls, dual-tone interiors and a new centre console. It will also be equipped with roof-mounted rear AC vents and will get a revised anti-roll bar too.

There will be three seating configurations on offer. The base CX variant can be configured for 8, 9 or 10 seats, while the LX trim will feature optional captain seats, making it a seven-seater. The top EX variant gets captain seats as standard and can be configured as a seven or eight-seater.

Tata Motors plans to introduce the Movus in the commercial segment first before offering it to private customers. Just like the recently launched Ashok Leyland Stile, the Movus MUV will be marketed primarily towards fleet operators rather than private individuals.

Prices are expected to start at Rs 7.5 lakh ex-showroom, Delhi and go up to Rs 8.6 lakh for the top EX variant. 

VW Taigun SUV

Greetings everyone!

Ford has hit the jackpot with the EcoSport and now Volkswagen is readying its own sub-four-metre SUV contender for India in the form of the Taigun. While an India launch is still some time away, the Taigun will be shown at the Delhi Auto Expo in February.

Volkswagen Beetle Dune

Greetings everyone!

Volkswagen will showcase this radical looking Beetle concept at the Detroit Motor Show, called the Beetle Dune.

New Audi A4

Greetings everyone!

Audi is readying an all-new A4 saloon for a global unveiling in 2015. The German carmaker is already testing the new Audi A4 near Ingolstadt, Germany.

 

Globally, like the current car, the fifth-generation Audi A4 will feature three body styles -- a sedan, a wagon and an Allroad variant which would follow later. The next-generation A5  coupe, Audi RS5 coupe and Sportback models will follow in 2016.

 

The next-generation Audi A4 has been styled with guidance from soon-to-depart Audi design boss Wolfgang Egger. Insider sources say that the final design will be evolutionary and will feature updated detailing.

 

The next Audi A4 will get distinguishing features such as a 3D-effect single-frame grille, new-style trapezoidal LED headlamps, and bumpers with a heavier crease and a prominent shoulder line running along the length of the car. The new Audi A4 is expected to feature sharp creases on all of its bodywork.  The new Audi A4 will remain close to the current car in terms of dimensions; luggage capacity is expected to increase thanks to better packaging.

 

The 2015 Audi A4 (Codenamed: B9) will also be the first conventional steel monocoque Audi offering to use the group’s MLB platform. This will significantly benefit from a range of weight-saving initiatives which include usage of aluminium panels. The total weight drop could be in the range of 100 kg as compared to the current base Audi A4.

 

Engine line-up will include a wide range of four and six cylinder petrol and diesel units.  Most of the engines on offer will feature cylinder deactivation tech.

McLaren P13(2015) prototype spied.

Greetings everyone!

McLaren is sharpening its claws for a fight in the hotly contested £100k+ sport car market. Its entry, codenamed P13, will arrive in 2015, spoiling for a scrap with the Porsche 911 turbo, and teeing up a grudge match with previous partners mercedes, and its upcoming GT-AMG super car.

New Seat Leon Cupra

Greetings everyone!

Buying a hot hatch is rather like going to Nandos. You select your hot hatch of choice, then specify exactly how hot you want it to be. It started with the new Golf GTI, and the trend has now moved onto one of its MQB brethren: the Seat Leon Cupra.

Seat's new performance hatch comes with either 261bhp, or 276bhp if you go for the 280 edition (280 stands for the amount of PS). Said power comes from the same two-litre turbocharged petrol engine as the Golf GTI, fettled to eke out more power. 49bhp more to be precise. Which puts the car in the same power range as Vauxhall's potent Astra VXR. 

New Lexus RC-F

Greetings everyone!


Last November in Tokyo, Lexus unveiled the RC-Coupe; the two-door version of the new IS. Like BMW, a new nomenclature distinguishing saloon and coupe. And now, like BMW, it has revealed the halo version of this new coupe: the RC-F. 

Audi 2015 TT interior unveiled

Greetings everyone!

Audi has unveiled the upcoming new 2015 TT’s interiors at the CES 2014.

The new Audi TT’s cabin aims to be fully focussed on the driver, at the same time being puristic and sporty. It gets an instrument cluster and an infotainment screen bundled up in one display behind the steering wheel. 

      

Rolls-Royce Ghost V-Specification

Greetings everyone!

Rolls-Royce has unveiled a new special edition of the Ghost called the Ghost V-Specification.

The new Ghost V-Specification gets the same 6.6-litre V12 engine but sees a bump in power by 30bhp. The upgraded motor propels the Ghost from standstill to 100kph in 4.7 seconds according to the manufacturer.

Mercedes S-class launch

Greetings everyone!

Mercedes-Benz has launched the all-new 2014 S-class (W222) sedan in New Delhi at Rs 1.57 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the S 500 petrol, the only variant on offer at launch. Each top-of-the-line S 500 variant will be imported as a CBU from Germany. Mercedes-Benz has also stated that all 125 units of the limited Launch Edition of the new S-class sedan have already been sold, and that all orders placed henceforth will be delivered only in April, 2014.

New Bentley SUV

Greetigs everyone!

Bentley is betting big on its upcoming SUV which will go on sale globally in 2016. According to Wolfgang Schreiber, Bentley’s CEO, the Bentley's sales will expand by 50 percent between 2014 and 2018, reflecting the influence of this upcoming SUV.

New Skoda Superb

Greetings everyone!

Skoda will showcase the facelifted Superb sedan for the Indian market at the upcoming Auto Expo 2014 but the Czech carmarker has already begun work on the next-generation model.

Tata Falcon 4 & 5

Greetings everyone!

Tata Motors has been through some hard times in the recent past with flagging sales, quality issues and an ageing model line-up. The company is hard at work getting fresh and exciting offerings ready and the first results are showing with ‘Project Falcon’. This ‘project’ essentially will see the birth of a new hatchback and sedan from Tata to replace the Vista and the Manza.Both cars will be based on the X1 platform that the current Vista and Manza are based on. Tata claims that the cars are all new however the silhouette hasnt changed.

Audi RS 7

The RS 7 also benefits in the fuel efficiency department with its cylinder-on-demand technology, which closes the cylinder valves at low and medium engine speeds. Audi says that the 2014 car thatis coming to India is 15 per cent more fuel efficient than its predecessor currently being sold in the US.

Nrew cars in 2014 for UK

Greetings everyone!

To welcome in the new year, this month we take a look at all the     cars that you should be getting excited about in 2014. We kick things off with the technological masterpiece that is the Porsche 918 Spyder - the 875bhp, 214mph, hybrid-hypercar that's set to go battle with the McLaren P1 next year. Porsche gave us exclusive access to the 918, and we only felt it right to send the Stig over to Germany to give it the ultimate shakedown.

stretched Citroen DS5

Greetings everyone!

Good news if you're planning a hen party with a quirky Gallic twist: Citroen has released a stretched version of its DS5.

Named the DS5LS, it's some 17cm longer than the standard DS5, measuring a vast 470cm from nose to tail. It also previews the new face of the DS5 range, which Citroen says ‘allies force with sophistication' and we say ‘looks a whole lot calmer than the current DS5's sharky nose'.

Commodore VF not the last

Greetings everyone!

 Holden has confirmed that the VF won't be the last Commodore sold in Australia.

With the VF not even on sale yet, let alone even unveiled, Holden managing director Mike Devereux has revealed that work has already begun on the next Commodore, the replacement for the VF, to be released in 2016.

This is huge news for Holden fans, and Australians in general, who have feared that the VF would be the last ever Commodore, ending a 35-year year love affair with the Aussie icon.

Nissan sport sedan concept

Greetings everyone!

The Nissan Sport Sedan concept will be unveiled at this month's Detroit motor show, with its makers saying it "previews a new energetic design direction that amplifies Nissan's legendary approach of applying sports car principles to a sedan."

The teaser image released at the same time of the announcement gives clues as to how the production car will look, and speculation suggests the car will offer an exaggerated view of how the next generation Nissan Maxima will appear.

BMW i8

Greetings everyone!

Headlining BMW’s stall at the New Delhi Auto Expo 2014 will be the BMW i8 hybrid sports coupé. The high-tech, carbon-bodied sportscar will become the new BMW flagship, and the most expensive model in the range at an estimated Rs 1.5 crore, ex-showroom. The BMW i8 will also be a halo model for the brand to showcase its technology. 

Maruti Celerio

Greetings everyone!

Maruti Suzuki’s upcoming global hatchback (codename: YL7), which will make its world debut at the New Delhi Auto Expo 2014, will be known worldwide as the Suzuki Celerio. This is the name that Suzuki currently uses for the A-Star in certain international markets, like the Phillipines.

In India, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio will replace both the A-Star and the now-discontinued Zen Estilo, and while it was previewed by the Suzuki A Wind at the 2013 Thailand Motor Show, it is the production version that will be shown at the New Delhi Auto Expo 2014.

The Maruti Suzuki Celerio will be powered by one of Maruti’s K-series petrol engines, likely the 1.0-litre K10, although it will be tuned for greater efficiency.

This new name also means the end of the ‘Alto’ nameplate in international markets, but in India, the Alto 800  and Alto K10 will continue to be sold alongside the new Maruti Suzuki Celerio.

Volvo XC SUV Concept

Greetings everyone!

This is the Volvo Concept XC, which will be seen for the first time at the Detroit Motor Show this month.

These preview photos show the new Concept XC Coupé for the first time. Volvo says the concept features design elements that will be seen on the new XC90, due towards the end of next year. The firm says that as XC-badged vehicles form the backbone of its range, the Concept XC includes plenty of hints towards the future design direction of those models.

The Concept XC is the second of three planned design studies from Volvo, each created under new design boss Thomas Ingenlath. The first design study, the Volvo Concept Coupé, was seen at the Frankfurt motor show. That model showcased Volvo's new Scalable Platform Architecture, which will be used to underpin the majority of the firm's future models.

Volvo says the Concept XC showcases its integration of safety technology, as well as traditional Scandanavian design elements.

McLaren P13

Greetings everyone!

The first official details of the McLaren P13, the company's Porsche 911 rival, have been revealed ahead of the model going on sale in early 2015.

The model will have a twin-turbo 3.8-litre engine with 444bhp and will have styling directly influenced by the larger P1 hypercar.

Hyundai Intrado

Greetings everyone!

Hyundai has previewed a new concept SUV called Intrado at a media event at its European headquarters in Frankfurt.

The Korean firm has released a single image of the rear of the new SUV concept, which will be shown for the first time at the Geneva motor show in March this year. It appears to be a highly-stylised compact SUV, similar in size to the Nissan Juke.

New Suzuki engine

Greetings everyone!

Suzuki is developing an all-new diesel engine family that will power a wide range of vehicles, which will include a small pick-up truck (code: Y9T), hatchbacks, saloons and a compact SUV. 

This will be Suzuki’s first attempt at developing a diesel engine on its own. The company currently relies on Fiat for diesel technology, but moving forward; the Japanese car maker doesn’t want to be dependent on another manufacturer and is keen to have its own proprietary diesel technology. Also, the legal tangle between Suzuki and Volkswagen (the company bought a 20 percent stake in Suzuki in 2009) has meant that other companies have shied away from collaborating with Suzuki on diesel powertrains.