Concept Car

Images of the production version of the Audi RS Q3 have been leaked online ahead of the high-performance crossovers official premiere, which will likely take place in Geneva next month.

We will remind you that the RS Q3 was previewed through a thinly disguised concept model at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show.

These first pictures suggest that Audi has made only minor changes to the concept, mainly by replacing the carbon fiber accents and trims, both inside and out, with aluminum finish parts. In addition, the aluminum-style backgrounds of the instrument panel gauges have given their place to a more traditional black layout.

We suspect that the powertrain will be the same as in the concept, which featured the TT RS’ 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five rated at 355-horses allowing the subcompact crossover to complete the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint in 5.2 seconds and top out at 265 km/h (165 mph), but well have to wait for the official release to be sure.

Articles Source : Carscoop

Our first impressions of BMW’s soon-to-be-launched contender in the fast-expanding luxury hatchback segment, the 1-series. 

 

 

It may look like a regular hatchback from the outside, but the 1-series is unique. It’s the only hatchback around that uses a longitudinally placed, front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout – a layout that offers more driving thrills than a regular front-wheel-drive hatchback. We’ve driven the 1-series from Germany to Austria before its September 3 launch in India, to get a feel of what you can expect.

The seats are low, so you slide down into them. Once seated in the particularly sporty driver’s seat (it has adjustable bolsters and thigh support), you’ll see a typical BMW dashboard that’s dominated by a smart-looking 8.8-inch screen on the centre console. Build quality, as expected, is almost faultless and the driving position, as is with all BMWs, is spot on. The problem, then, is that the 1-series’ dash doesn’t feel special like a Merc A-class cabin does. There’s also precious little storage space in the centre console, although the door pockets are generous. Our test car didn’t have powered seats or electric steering adjustment, but there was still quite a bit of kit on offer, including a lane-departure warning system and a rear-end collision warning system. We don’t think the last two will make it to India though. BMW is also keen to point out that the iDrive system that, once paired to your phone, lets you tweet and update your Facebook status without having to touch your phone.

Still, if youre expecting the 1-series to be spacious, think again. Its quite cramped at the rear and the high transmission tunnel (thanks to the rear-wheel-drive layout) eats into the middle passengers legroom. Headroom is decent though, and the bigger windows (in contrast to the A-classs thick pillars) dont make you feel as hemmed in as you would in the Merc. The 1-series has a usefully big 360 litres of boot space and the rear seats split 40:20:40, which is useful.

BMW has said that, to start with, there will be two engines on offer in India – a 136bhp, 1.6-litre turbo-petrol and a 143bhp, 2.0-litre turbo-diesel – both mated to the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. The cars we are driving, however, have manual gearboxes and this is, at least mechanically, the only difference from what you will soon be able to buy in India.

The initial impression of the petrol is that it is a peppy engine. The mid-range is strong, it revs rather freely to almost 7,000rpm and there’s good top-end performance to be had too. Add to that a snappy gearshift and a progressive clutch and it’s a car that is a lot of fun to drive. The only fly in its ointment is the weak bottom end. Below 1,500rpm, especially if you have to start off on a slope, you really have to slip the clutch and feed in lots of throttle to get going. This, however will be less noticeable on the automatic that we will get here. It also gets quite thrummy near the redline, so you tend to up-shift early. Do that and the engine, like most direct-injection petrols, runs smoothly and quietly.

It’s a similar story with the diesel. There’s a bit of lag you have to work around initially, after which there’s strong acceleration from an engine that will happily rev to 5000rpm. It is surprisingly quiet too and it’s like that even when you accelerate hard. Both engines are reasonably smooth, although there are some vibes from the gearlever when you rev them hard, and though they aren’t particularly quick, neither will disappoint in a straight line. More importantly, both engines offer more power than what you get in an A-class. The diesel and the petrol we drove came with selectable driving modes that alter throttle response characteristics, among other things.

The 1-series is a lot of fun to drive – the steering on both cars is quick and well weighted, and there is lots of grip. That said, there some body roll and the car tends to understeer when you drive it hard.  The diesel, as expected, feels slightly more nose-heavy than the petrol, but both have lots of grip and come alive when you drive them hard. As for the ride, a drive over German roads is no test for a suspension – they are just too smooth. Still, it does feel pliant enough save for a few jiggles over lumpy tarmac, and the relatively high-profile tyres on 16-inch rims do their part as well. Sadly, BMW will continue to offer the 1-series with run-flat tyres when it comes to India.

BMW is assembling the 1-series in India and is expected to price it at around Rs 20-25 lakh. For that price, it’s a fun to drive and fundamentally sound car. The question is, how many of its potential customers in India will really want what the extra driving thrills it offers? It doesnt look as special as a Mercedes A-class, though, and when youre this much money for a hatch, special is what you want, isn’t it?

Usually new or redesigned models fare better in car reviews than their predecessors. Technology moves on during the lifespan of a model, automakers learn from their mistakes and improve their production methods, while the competition gets better forcing everyone else to improve etc.

However, that’s not the case with the redesigned 2012 Honda Civic LX, or at least thats what Consumer Reports states in its latest test of the Japanese model.
According to Consumer Reports (CR), the highest ranking small sedan for many years and a Top Pick in five of the last 10 years has in its latest iteration dropped too low to even earn a “Recommended” tag!
“While other models like the Hyundai Elantra have gotten better after being redesigned, the Civic has dropped so much that now it ranks near the bottom of its category,” wrote senior director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Center, David Champion.
The Civic LX’s score dropped from the previous model 78 to an abysmal 61, placing it in the second-to-last place just above the (also recently redesigned) VW Jetta, which finished last.
Consumer Reports’ testers found the new Honda Civic to feature a lower quality interior, high road noise, less agile handling, inferior brakes and a choppy ride compared to the car it replaced.
Decent space for rear passengers and second-best fuel economy in the category just weren’t enough to make up for its other shortcomings.
Heres a snippet from CRs test:

"The Civic has slid backward with its redesign. It feels insubstantial against recently-redesigned competition.. Vague steering weakens its agility and robs it of its fun-to-drive feel. Stopping distances are long, the ride is choppy, and road noise is pronounced.

The Honda Civic LX ($19,405 MSRP as tested), is powered by a 140-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that provides adequate acceleration and gets an impressive 30 mpg overall in CR’s own fuel economy tests. The five-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly. The interior feels cheap, a letdown from previous Civics. CR is currently testing a Civic hybrid and will report on it next month. Cargo space is Good."

Hondas reaction was almost immediate as the Japanese companys U.S. arm issued a statement saying it "disagrees" with CRs findings. Hondas reply follows below:

"In a broad sense, we disagree with Consumer Reports findings. Without question, the small sedan segment is more competitive than ever. In virtually every way, the completely redesigned 2012 Civic is a step forward.
The new Civic excels in areas that matter to small-car customers, including fuel efficiency, safety, and reliability. Among the Civics greatest competitive strengths, is a smooth and efficient powertrain that, in Consumer Reports testing returned, "... an impressive 30 mpg overall on regular fuel and 47 mpg on the highway."
Also noted in Consumer Reports findings, the Civic excels in the area of safety, with a long list of important features standard on all trim levels, and a class-leading Top Safety Pick rating from IIHS.
Lastly, the Civic has a stellar reliability history with Consumer Reports, and we are confident that the new Civic will be a reliability leader as well."

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Track front 1578 mm 62.1 in
rear 1582 mm 62.3 in
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Width 1902 mm 74.9 in
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Length:wheelbase ratio 1.68
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