Initially it was believed that Audi will bring the new A6 Allroad Quattro in March at the Geneva Motor Show, but it seems that the company decided to offer us the official details a few months earlier. The model will go on sale in Germany this Spring at a starting price of €54,600 or about $70,000 at the current exchange rates.
Compared to a standard A6 Avant the A6 Allroad Quattro is 2.36 inches higher and is distinguished by trim strips on the side sills, more widely flared fenders and a single-frame grille with vertical slats. At the rear the exhaust system ends in two large, flattened tailpipes and the wheel well edges, the bumpers and the sills are painted in a contrasting color.
The new A6 Allroad Quattro will be offered with a choice of four engines: one TFSI gasoline engine and three TDI units with power ranging from 204 HP to 313 HP. The three other engines are paired with the seven-speed S tronic and a quattro permanent four-wheel drive system.
Updated 01/11/2012: Audi has unveiled today the official details on the new A6 Allroad quattro. Hit the jump to read more about the car.
Everyone’s attention may be centered on the start of the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, but spy photographers are still hard at work capturing images of future models as they test their way into perfection. This week’s captive is the new Audi RS4 as it takes some hot laps on the Nürburgring.
The new RS4 Avant prototype caught testing revealed some new lights and a new grille which will highlight the upcoming facelift for the full A4/S4 range. It also features big air intakes on the revised front end, wider fenders, and massive oval exhaust pipes.
Now comes the power. If you live in the United States, chances are you don’t really care about the newRS4 Avant, either because it hasn’t been confirmed for the US market or because Americans still have this "thing" about not liking wagons. For the latter, may we remind you that Audi likes to test their S variants in wagon form before expanding to the more traditional models, so listen up. Audi has two options for the new RS4’s engine. Their first option is to use the same 4.2 liter V8 with 450 horsepower found in the RS5, and the second is to down-size to a twin-turbo V6 which will deliver about the same amount of power. We’re placing our bets on the V6 only because automakers have to focus more on fuel economy and if Audi can get the same amount of power and provide customers with gas-saving efficiency, that’s what they are going to do.
At the Frankfurt Motor Show last week, Audi managed to overload our senses with the release of their entire new S line-up. Included in this new armada of sporty Audis are the new S6, the S6 Avant, the S7 Sportback, and the S8.
As for the new Audi S6 Avant, the changes done on the car’s exterior and interior won’t get you to notice them at first glance. While there are subtle modifications, the most important difference between the new and old model - as well as all of the other new S-line models - is the new powertrain.
We’ve said it before with the other cars, but it certainly bears repeating. The new S6 Avant will carry Audi’s new 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 420 horsepower and 406 lb/ft of torque, roughly the same numbers as that of the new S6. But the best part is that while it’s an impressive engine in its own right, the benefits don’t end with the increased numbers.
Find out more about the new Audi S6 Avant after the jump.
Peugeot drew some considerable attention at the Paris Auto Show last year when they introduced the EX1 electric concept for the very first time. This year, the French automaker is looking to repeat that with the introduction of their latest concept, the six-seater MPV concept called the HX1.
Blessed with a unique layout that makes use of Peugeot’s new design language, the HX1 is the company’s presentation of what their ’big’ models could look like in the future. The new revolutionary design includes "half-scissor" doors and a "floating" front grille akin to some of the company’s newest production models. The HX1 also features a hybrid powertrain system consisting of a 2.2-liter diesel engine and a rear-mounted 70kW electric motor.
All told, the HX1 Concept is Peugeot’s attempt in breaking new ground with their future models. No word yet on if the car is headed to production anytime soon, but that’s neither here nor there. For now, the important thing is that the French automaker is slowly stretching its legs, leaving behind the conservative ’label’ that they’ve been carrying for the longest time.
UPDATE 09/06/11: Peugeot has released a pair of new videos for the HX1 Concept. One is a walk-around video showing the details of the car while the other is a promo video that looks more like a product endorsement than anything else. Check out both videos by clicking the above photo.
Find out more about the Peugeot HX1 Concept after the jump
This week’s episode of Top Gear is probably the most disgusting episode we have ever seen. The guys were faced with the challenge of finding the best car for $500 and driving them 500 miles from Santa Monica to Twin Peaks in San Francisco. At first, we could only imagine just how crappy these cars were, then the Top Gear crew let us know.
In addition to the foul $500 car challenge, Ruttledge Wood was given the chance to review the scintillating Cadillac CTS-V in all three body styles: coupe, sedan, and wagon. The wagon was by far Rutt’s favorite and he was absolutely clear on that.
We were also treated to Maroon 5’s Adam Levine as he cruised around the Top gear test track in the show’s Suzuki SX4. His driving may not have been top notch, but he was extremely successful at cursing up a storm.
Hit the jump for details on Top Gear USA: Season 2 Episode 6.
The 2012 Audi A6 Avant has received a new tuning kit courtesy of Audi tuner extraordinaire, ABT Sportsline. Aesthetic upgrades are part of the package, but the main ingredient of the whole thing is an extensive performance upgrade that takes the output of the estate car to a whole new level.
Among the changes you’ll notice on the exterior include a new front spoiler, new sidebars, a custom rear spoiler, a new rear apron that integrates four exhaust pipes, and a set of 19", 20", and 21" lightweight wheels that comes wrapped with high-speed tires.
As for the engine, the 2012 A6 Avant is powered by a number of engine options, including a 3.0-liter TDI engine with a choice output of 204 horsepower and 245 horsepower and a 2.0-liter TFSI engine that produces 300 horsepower. On it’s own, these engines are impressive, right? Not to ABT Sportsline.
Using a few engine modifications, the German tuner was able to bump up the output of the two 3.0-liter TDI variants from 204 horsepower to 240 horsepower and 245 horsepower to 300 horsepower. As for the gas-powered 2.0 TFSI engine, the original output of 300 horsepower has been juiced up to a mouth-watering 420 horsepower, improving the car’s 0-62 mph time to just under five seconds.
ABT Sportsline’s upgrade on the 2012 A6 Avant has turned an already attractive car into one impressive piece of business. And quite frankly, we wouldn’t mind owning a piece of that business ourselves.
The sixth generation BMW 3-Series (F30) is getting closer to its official debut and, as a result, the prototypes we’ve caught testing have started to lose some of their camouflage. The new 3-Series Touring is expected to make its world debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show with sales on the US market following shortly thereafter.
The full line of 3-Series Touring models will include sedan, station wagon, coupe, convertible,and M3 versions. The new generation won’t just be bringing a new design language, but it will also host a new family of aluminum four-cylinder gasoline engines ranging from 135 to 245 HP.
The exterior design of the new 3-Series Touring will bring a fresher appearance with a front end inspired by the latest 5- and 7-Series models, plus the company’s latest kidney grille. The interior will offer more luxury and will lose the center hump that houses the current model’s optional navigation system.
As for the engine line-up, depending on the market, expect to see a full line of both diesel and petrol engines, with the addition of a new generation of modular, four-cylinder engines. These new engines will be able to deliver between 140 HP to 230 HP, with a 2.0 engine going up to 300 HP. Whether or not BMW has opted to drop the six-cylinder engines in favor of the new four cylinders is a question still left unanswered. Fuel economy is still the name of the game for most automakers, so this is a good possibility. In fact, the next 3-Series will also be coming in a hybrid version that will add two electric motors for a 20% improvement in fuel consumption.
Audi confirmed the arrival of the new S6 awhile ago with the car’s world debut date set for the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Now that the debut is only a few short months away, the S6 Avant is getting stripped of its camouflage and enduring some of its final testing. Our newest spy shots reveal every aspect of the new station wagon, minus the S6 badges, but what we’re really interested in is the upgraded engine underneath the sparkling exterior.
The 2012 Audi S6 will be powered by a newly developed 4.0 liter V8 engine with twin-turbos, allowing the wagon to deliver about 450 HP. Not only will the new engine deliver more power, but true to the times, it will also reduce fuel consumption and emissions by about 20%. The model will be offered with a Quattro four-wheel-drive system and an eight-speed automatic gearbox fitted as standard.
After its world debut later this year, the Audi S6 Avant will go on sale - in both sedan and station wagon versions - at the beginning of 2012. If you live in the U.S. and don’t care for station wagons (which covers most Americans), don’t worry, the S6 Avant won’t be coming over here anyway.
Apparently owning a wagon over in Dubai is about as cool as doing the Irish Jig in a Hip Hop dance club, but two guys over in the Middle East are combating this ridiculous notion with a rendering of a CTS-V Wagon Racer. Yes, sadly, it’s just a rendering, but Lap 57’s Emirati race driver, Omran Al Owais, and his brother Mohammed are hoping these images will increase interest and gather up some sponsors to make this vehicle a reality.
The Cadillac wagon seen in these images actually belongs to the brothers and they hope to take them to Nurburgring to complete the next step towards possible production. Before that happens, though, the two brothers are looking for advice from some top tuners, including Hennessey Performance and D3, on how to make this happen.
Currently, the CTS-V wagon is still in standard form which means it is being powered by a 6.2 liter supercharged V8 engine that delivers a total of 556 hp and 551 lb.-ft. of torque. We don’t expect to see many changes, but we imagine the changes actually made will resemble Cadillac’s adjustments to the CTS-V Coupe racer.
A CTS-V Wagon Racer is the dream car of Lap 57’s Emirati race driver Omran Al Owais who said: “We are hoping this fetish might catch on with other Emiratis and see them ditching their X6Ms and G55s, so that we start seeing serious girls on the road such as the RS6/E63 or the new exciting M5 Wagon. The streets of Jumeirah at night will never be the same.”
The German tuner Edo Competition is usually focusing on models from Ferrari or Lamborghini, but this time they came with the M5 Dark Edition - a 555 HP BMW M5 wagon that wants to prove that even family cars can be fun.
The most important part of he tuning package is of course the engine update. The tuner is offering a recalibrated ECU, high-flow air filters and catalytic converters as well as a newly developed high-performance exhaust system that will increase the engine’s output from 500 to 555 HP and the peak torque from 384 lbs-ft to 413 lbs-ft. Also, after removing the speed limiter the car can hit a top speed of 190 mph. The 0 to 60 mph sprint is also made 0.5 seconds faster (4.2 seconds).
The package also includes a modified front and the new rear skirt, a new rear wing and a new set of 20" light alloy wheels with painted centers and Dunlop tires. The interior combined carbon fiber with precious leather, making the M5 a very elegant and enjoyable car.
