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Automotive Reviews, Cars

2024 Audi RS3 Review: A Modern Rally Car Worth Every Penny

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First impressions of the RS3, aside from in sheer efficiency metrics, positively impressed. The inside design now emphasizes quantity and luxury rather more than the era I grew accustomed to driving again then. A stark imaginative and prescient of luxurious all through helps that sensibility, with a minimalist heart console and sprint design proper all the way down to the mid-sized infotainment display screen and reductive gear selector—the latter most likely being my second largest gripe.

Hey, we have got wi-fi Apple CarPlay on the very least. Welcome to the trendy period! Hexagonal honeycomb quilted leather-based seats, carbon-fiber trim all through, and a configurable gauge cluster that modifications layouts relying on drive mode spherical out the facilities. One peculiar element that stood out at first really wound up on my record of professionals: the extraordinarily thin-rimmed, easy steering wheel with minimal buttons and dials as distraction.

I fiddled by way of the drive modes on the way in which out of city, hoping to determine which mixture I preferred greatest earlier than really arriving to any winding roads. After some melodramatic pops and burbles at startup, each the Comfort and Auto modes prompted early shifts from the transmission to maintain the engine quiet and sedate at low revs, with the suspension and steering fairly tame, too.

Motorsport

Dom’s Charger within the First Fast and Furious Had a Fake Supercharger

TV and movie have left deep impressions on the automotive neighborhood. They helped flip easy machines into icons that at the moment are beloved and coveted around the globe, however lots of the automobiles we’ve got fallen in love with have been the outcomes of film magic.

Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger from the primary movie within the Fast and Furious franchise is only one instance. Its unforgettable supercharger is definitely faux. Craig Lieberman, a technical advisor on the primary two Fast and Furious movies, revealed in a brand new video on his YouTube channel that the large, attention-grabbing blower was a reproduction and never even connected to the engine.

The huge motor filmed within the Charger in Dom’s storage, a 445 cubic-inch beast, was a stand-in that wasn’t supposed to energy the muscle automotive, and it went again to the engine store after filming. Eagled-eye moviegoers would have observed that the Charger on the finish of the movie had a blower belt cowl to cover the very fact there wasn’t a belt, but it surely wasn’t the one little bit of cinema sleight-of-hand used within the film.

The movie used 5 Chargers, changing 1969 fashions into 1970 R/Ts. Two of the 5 have been stunt vehicles with heavy-duty twin roll bars which can be simply noticeable as soon as you recognize the place to look. The hero automotive simply stands out with its reproduction roof help and single bars.

Many film vehicles we’ve got seen on the massive display screen have been misplaced to time. They get recycled, offered, or scrapped earlier than the movie even has the prospect to make a cultural affect, and the early Fast and Furious vehicles went on some wild journeys around the globe earlier than discovering everlasting houses.

Motorsport

Smaller And Cheaper Hyundai N EV Hot Hatch Basically Confirmed

Hyundai launched its first all-electric efficiency car only in the near past, and our first impressions after driving the Ioniq 5 N in Korea had been very, very optimistic. One large piece of the puzzle that’s nonetheless lacking is its value, however it appears unlikely that you’re going to get into the Ioniq 5 N for lower than $70,000.

But Hyundai is engaged on a extra inexpensive electrical sizzling hatch, which could be a very good various for these not prepared to BMW cash on a Hyundai EV. Albert Biermann, who was the corporate’s head of analysis and improvement till two years in the past however nonetheless works for the group as a technical advisor, admitted in a current interview that there is a smaller and cheaper electrical hatch presently being thought-about. Details, although, are nonetheless scarce.

“That small N-car EV – that is something we have to do,” Biermann informed AutoExpress. “Otherwise, we leave our customers in the dark. We have to come down with something smaller and more affordable. If it’s an N car, you want to go on the track – even for 15 or 20 minutes. If you go 400-volt, you double the current, four times the heat dissipation. The efficiency is bad. If you think of an i30-kind of car, 400-volt is not appropriate.”

While a smaller electrical sizzling hatch appears doubtless within the extra distant future, a efficiency model of the Ioniq 6 may arrive sooner. According to a current report, across the center of the last decade, the Ioniq 6 N could debut as an much more succesful machine than the Ioniq 5 N with greater than the crossover’s 641 horsepower. The RN22e idea from final yr supplied an excellent early preview of that automobile, although it had a powertrain with “just” 577 horsepower – the identical quantity you’ll discover within the Kia EV6 GT. A Kona N Electric is also deemed possible.

Featured

2023 Lucid Air Touring Review: The One To Get

When Lucid Motors unveiled its first vehicle, the Air, in 2020, they wanted to make a big impression. The range-topping Dream Edition, with its $169,000 price tag, 1,111 horsepower, and 520-mile range, certainly accomplished that. But for everyday driving, the Touring model is the one that most people will want.

Design and Features

Visually, there are no major differences between the Touring and other Lucid Air models. It has the same exterior styling and color options. The Touring I tested had a Quantum Grey Metallic finish, standard 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and a Glass Canopy roof. However, you can also choose a metal roof for a lower price.

Performance

The Touring model is equipped with a slightly smaller battery pack than the higher-trimmed Grand Touring. It has a range of 425 miles (384 miles on 20-inch wheels) and develops 620 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph. It offers plenty of power for daily driving, and its range is more than sufficient for most people’s needs. It also outperforms competitors like the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4MATIC and BMW i7 in terms of power.

Ride and Handling

Like the Grand Touring, the Touring model features steel springs, adaptive dampers, and three drive modes (Smooth, Swift, and Sprint). It weighs 250 pounds less than the Grand Touring, making it more agile and easier to maneuver. Its braking system is also well-suited to its weight, with six-piston brakes upfront and four-pot calipers in the rear. The Touring performs well in both city driving and on the highway.

Interior and Technology

The Touring model benefits from the same interior design and build quality as its higher-trimmed siblings. It comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both of which are displayed on the Air’s large 34-inch curved main screen. The native infotainment system is well laid out, but it can occasionally lag. The cabin is covered in Nappa leather, and the Touring model offers more interior space than the Grand Touring, especially in the second row.

Pricing

The 2023 Lucid Air Touring starts at $109,050, including a $1,650 destination fee. My tester had a price of $128,550 with options. Compared to its competitors, the Touring offers a significant discount, with similar options on the BMW i7 costing around $150,000, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4MATIC coming in at around $135,000.

Verdict

The 2023 Lucid Air Touring combines the best features and design elements of the higher-trimmed models with a more affordable price tag. It offers ample power and range for daily driving and provides a comfortable and luxurious interior. If you’re looking for a fast and practical electric vehicle, the Lucid Air Touring is the one to get.

VolvoCars

The fully electric Volvo EX30 SUV: a small car with big potential

Sometimes, first impressions can be misleading. Yes, the new Volvo EX30 is our smallest SUV to date. And yes, it comes at an attractive price. But it can have an oversized impact, representing one of our biggest business opportunities in the coming years.

The Volvo EX30, available to order now in selected markets*, is a cornerstone of the strategic transformation we are on as a company. Already by mid-decade, we aim for half of our global sales volumes to consist of fully electric cars and to reach an operating profit margin of 8-10 per cent. By 2030, we plan to sell only fully electric models.

We expect the EX30 to be one of our best-selling models in the coming years as we work towards those ambitions, and it will significantly contribute to our growth and profitability objectives.

With the Volvo EX30, we enter a new and fast-growing segment for our brand. There is a growing demand from consumers globally for small, fully electric premium SUVs. For example, many people living in the city are looking for a car that brings convenience and allows them to commute to work and get around, while doing so in a way that reflects who they are.

The EX30 is also designed to be as safe as you’d expect from a Volvo car and aims to look after both you and others in hectic urban environments. For example, it includes a special safety feature for bikes that helps to prevent so-called ‘dooring’ accidents, by alerting you when you are about to open your door in front of a cyclist, scooter or runner. State-of-the-art protective safety technology further illustrates how we’ve applied our high safety standards to the EX30.

The EX30 provides drivers with a true and capable SUV, born electric and packed with all the smart tech that they need. Combined with an attractive starting price of around EUR 36,000, this means customers get a premium fully electric SUV for a similar price to combustion engine-powered equivalents.

And as if that wasn’t enough, data from our initial analysis in two markets shows the total cost of ownership to be currently lower than any other fully electric Volvo car – and well ahead of much of the competition in the electric, small SUV segment*.

“We know that price and cost of ownership is still one of the biggest challenges when people consider switching to an electric car,” said Jim Rowan, our Chief Executive. “With the Volvo EX30, we aim to bring premium, fully electric mobility to a much broader audience, helping to advance and speed up the transition to full electrification that our industry and society needs.”

In the way you want it

With its convenient size, smart technology and different configurations to choose from, the Volvo EX30 is designed to appeal to a wide range of customers – each with their own preferences, needs and ways of life.

That same flexibility and convenience is reflected in the way we structured the commercial offer. It is designed around convenience and freedom of choice. You decide how you want to access a Volvo EX30: for example, through outright ownership, leasing or subscription.

Our Care by Volvo subscription offer has been very successful in recent years, not least because it gives customers flexibility and price predictability. We’ll offer that same level of transparency on the EX30: you can see your monthly cost at a glance, without hidden fees or costs, allowing you to enjoy life with your EX30 even more.

“With subscriptions for the EX30 starting at EUR 599 per month, we strongly believe this car will be an attractive choice for many customers – not just for our existing customers, but also to those who are new to the Volvo brand,” said Björn Annwall, our Chief Commercial Officer and Deputy CEO. “That will allow us to create new customer relationships and boost customer retention over time.”

A seamless customer experience

The Care by Volvo subscription packages are part of our ever-growing online offer. We’ve focused on developing a simple, intuitive and smooth buying process via our online flagship store, volvocars.com. Transparent online pricing without hidden fees, as well as an easy-to-understand offer, makes ordering a new Volvo EX30 a breeze.

That online sales process reflects our ambition of creating the best possible customer experience, seamlessly merging online and offline channels. Regardless of whether you visit one of our retailers, walk into one of our urban studios, head to our website or use the Volvo Cars app, everyone should get the same outstanding and meaningful experience.

In addition to the United Kingdom, which will be our first market to switch to a fully integrated online/physical, direct-to-consumer model this year, the Volvo EX30 will also be available online in other selected markets.

The small print

  • The Volvo EX30 is available for order as of today across Europe and other selected markets. In the United States, customers can place pre-orders, while orderbooks will open in other markets at a later stage that will be communicated in due course.
  • Total cost of ownership calculations from third-party data, based on 36 months and 60,000 kms of driving an EX30 Single Motor Core in the German and French markets. We expect similar results in other markets.