2012 Hyundai Azera: From About $32,000, Features Up To You

Officially, there’s no such thing as a 2012 Hyundai Azera. At least not yet, since the car is scheduled to make its official debut at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. Between now and November, however, Hyundai wants customers to build their own Azera and answer a few questions about their upcoming automotive purchases.

Hyundai is trying to gather as much consumer information as possible ahead of the Azera’s launch. The brief survey asks about other vehicles shopped, the primary use for your new car and the key deciding factors in your new car purchase. Given that Hyundai has a reputation for making last minute changes to production, we’d say this gives you a better-than-fair chance at influencing what the next Azera includes, as well as what it potentially costs.

The Azera configurator microsite warns that prices are estimates only, but it still gives a good idea of where Hyundai will position the 2012 Azera. The base price, excluding destination charges, is listed at $32,000, and the sole option Premium Package sells for $4,000. The Premium Package gets you 19-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, HID headlights, an Infinity premium audio system, ventilated front seats, driver’s seat memory and parking assistance sensors.

At a starting price of $32,000 and a maximum price of $36,000, the Azera slots in comfortably between the 2012 Hyundai Sonata (which starts at $20,455 and tops out at $32,130) and the 2012 Hyundai Genesis (which ranges from $35,050 to $49,070). The Azera is Hyundai’s “stepping stone” vehicle, designed to give buyers a bridge from the mainstream Sonata to the upscale Genesis, so Hyundai has quite a bit riding on the successful launch of the new Azera.

The Subaru BRZ is still invisible

You can tell how far a concept car is from production by the ratio of glass to its total surface area. Concept cars tend to be airy bubbles of glass which, when faced with the harsh reality of crash standards and production costs, quickly gain the gun slits that modern cars have for windows. By that metric, Subaru’s BRZ—the artist formerly known as the Subieyota—is quite a way from becoming what it hints to one day become: a new SVX.

It’s nothing more at the moment than a lovely Subaru drivetrain in a glass shell. Did you know that Subaru have been making boxer engines since 1966? I didn’t. The BRZ will of course have the latest one.

What it will also have is a very, very low center of gravity, helped by that boxer and, presumably, a yet to be invented technology to make the car’s body from a weightless force field. We’ll see. It’s certainly very low. I wouldn’t want to exaggerate, but almost Miura-low.

It will be the ultimate sleeper if it ever makes it into production with more than a modicum of that glass shell.

Lancia Thema in Geneva 2011

The new Lancia Thema, like many other new features is present at Geneva Motor Show 2011. The new car of the Italian carmaker has dimensions that are 5.08 m long, 1.89 m wide, 1.51 m tall and a wheelbase of 3.05 m. The new Lancia Thema mounts three 6-cylinder engines, a 292-hp 3.6 V6 petrol and two turbo 3-liters, 190 and 224 hp, in this way to try to compete with German cars. This also features the rear-wheel drive, a solution that was taken from Chrysler 300 hence, with automatic transmissions.

The version gasoline has an eight speed automatic transmission, while the diesel has a 5-speed automatic transmission. The design immediately shows some characteristic of American cars, while the interior is the usual emphasis on elegance Launches with leather seats, quality materials for the bridge and luxurious wood finish. Particular attention was paid to comfort with some sound deadening materials present in the wheel arches, the side windows and two panels of laminated composite materials that have been placed under the frame.

With regard to the Security in addition to the full complement of airbags, ESP and traction control, the Lancia Thema, there are also adaptive xenon headlights, parking sensors with rear camera, the system that warns of a vehicle in the blind spot of the mirrors and active cruise control that maintains a safe distance from the one above. Now you just have to see that impact will have a car like that on our streets and in the European market.

Mercedes E350 4Matic Review

Getting old is not for sissies. Aside from a general degradation in motor skills, sensory perception, memory and earnings, the 401K set is prone to health complaints that are both fantastically expensive and endlessly annoying. Fortunately, there are compensations: grandchildren (kids free from a no-deposit, no-return policy) and the Mercedes Benz E350 4Matic. I'm not saying the E350 was specifically designed to salve the fading sensibilities of the blue rinse brigade, but any car this numb, beige and expensive is clearly aimed at Baby Boomers who are wealthy as Hell and aren't going to take it anymore. Unless you ask nicely.

The E350 is a polite request on wheels. While Mercedes' product developers have been busy performing bizarre genetic experiments in pursuit of The Next Big Thing– carbon fiber supercars, mutant crossovers, four-door chop tops, re-imagined Nazi staff cars– their mid-sized model remains reassuringly bland– I mean, conservative. On the downside, the E still suffers from the swoopy dorkiness of its oval headlights, which make the grill look small, which denies the E350 get-out-my-way gravitas. And it continues to share far too many family traits with the lower-priced C-Class to please the legions of status conscious Mercedes buyers.

Inside the E350's cabin, it's… beige. Although the soft touch plastics dominating the cabin blend well with the black controls, burled wood and [slightly less dark] leather, it gives the Merc's cockpit a nursing home's demeanor. No surprise, then, that E350 residents aren't troubled by any of that mouse-driven menu-mad multi-media mishegos; they enjoy sensible controls sensibly located requiring nothing more than common sense and reasonable eyesight. The rear seats are only more than merely adequate for two– count 'em two– passengers, and the front headrests and sloping C-pillar restrict sightlines, making the Ecar seem unacceptably small and confined.

The E350's V6 engine is, in contrast, large and expansive (expensive?). After ten years spent thumbing through Mercedes' in-house parts catalogue, their E engine engineers have finally given the old powerplant a major makeover. They've added displacement, compression, valves, dual overhead cams, variable cam phasing and an industrial-strength KRUPS espresso maker. Well it sure feels that way. Whereas the old E always arrived a few minutes late and a bit groggy to the game known as forward thrust, the new E350 is fully caffeinated and good to go. With 268 horses foraging underhood, and 258 ft-lbs. of torque keeping them saddled for action, enthusiasts would be hard-pressed to find a smoother-spining mill.

Hard-pressed indeed. What's with Mercedes and their rigor mortis go-pedals? Did some overly literal German executive overhear an American say "step on it" and figure we prefer to stand on the gas pedal rather than tickle it with our toes? The 4Matic's five-speed gearbox does an excellent job making up for the E350's Novocained throttle, slurring changes like Greg Allman during his Elijah Blue period. But you can still find yourself kicking down when you're trying to stretch out. Bottom line: torquefest or no, if you don't cane the E350 4Matic at slow speeds, it's takes a while to get to the higher ones.

Once you're there, don't chuck the E350 into a corner. It's not about the chassis; the E350's suspension delivers an ideal blend of comfort and control, complete with progressive breakaway and safe as houses understeer at the limit (should you be daft enough to explore the performance envelope of a car that's more fundamentally sedate than solo shuffleboard). It's about the steering. Rotate the E350's rotund helm going into a bend and it's as if someone's unplugged the road feel generator. There's no way to judge your wheels' position in the turn. In fact, it's all too easy to overcompensate; continuing to turn long after the turn has been turned. It's not an ideal set-up for inattentive drivers.

Did I say "inattentive"? Maybe I should have said "old". Luxury motoring might mean "mindless ease" to the people whose money ultimately defines the term, but any car that encourages sloppy driving amongst our elderly population is more than slightly worrying. And here's another problem: older buyers may recall the days when Mercedes were built like brick shit-houses. This $50k sedan is most decidedly not. From a glove box and trunk lid that close with all the solidity of a Pampers wipes box, to the upmarket duct tape flapping around in the engine bay, the E350 fails to sweat the small stuff. Although Audi lacks Mercedes' cachet, if Ingolstadt continues to trounce Stuttgart in perceived build quality, that could change…

Meanwhile, financially secure luxury-seeking car buyers without sporting aspirations will find the E350 4Matic a wonderfully comfortable, reasonably rapid carcoon for motoring from empty nest to college campus, regardless of the weather up there at Hah-vaad (please God). If they want more zing out of life, well, there's always Viagra. And the E55 AMG.

Audi RS5

Unbridled power lurking in a classically elegant coupé: the Audi RS5 will debut at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. The high-revving 4.2-liter V8 with its 331 kW (450 hp) unleashes powerful performance while achieving remarkable fuel economy. The seven-speed S tronic and an innovative center differential in the quattro drivetrain transmit power to all four wheels.

Developed by quattro GmbH, the RS models comprise the dynamic spearhead of Audi's model range. The Audi RS5 is the latest torchbearer in a tradition dating back over 15 years to the RS2 Avant: superior handling in the mid-size class.

A close relative of the V10 which powers the high-performance Audi R8 sports car, the high-revving V8 engine delivers its output from a displacement of 4,163 cm3. Like nearly every Audi gasoline engine, this one also operates via direct fuel injection known by the abbreviation FSI. This same technology has propelled the Audi R8 racing car to four triumphs at the classic endurance race in Le Mans. The common-rail system generates up to 120 bars of pressure.

Intensive fine-tuning of the dual-branch intake and exhaust system allows the undersquare engine to breathe freely; four adjustable camshafts and tumble flaps in the intake manifold facilitate mixture formation. The 4.2 FSI provides imposing torque and is right at home even at high revs - almost like a race engine. The engine delivers 331 kW (450 hp) at 8,250 rpm and - between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm - transmits a maximum of 430 Nm (317.15 lb-ft) of torque.

The vigorous strength, the spontaneous responsiveness, the joyful high-revving, and the throaty, sonorous music: this V8 produced by hand at Audi stunningly combines the essence of power and emotion. The 4.2 FSI propels the coupé's 1,725 kilograms (3,802.97 pounds) in 4.6 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62.14 mph) to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h (155.34 mph). Audi can increase that to 280 km/h (173.98 mph) upon request.

Impressive efficiency: just 10.8 liters of fuel per 100 km

Efficiency is standard in every Audi; the Audi RS5 is no exception. The ultra-powerful eight-cylinder engine averages 10.8 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (21.78 miles US mpg) - far less than its main competitors. This impressive figure is due in part to the technologies from the Audi modular efficiency platform. The engine and the entire drivetrain have been optimized to minimize friction, the oil pump operates on demand, and an energy-recovery system conserves energy during coasting and braking.

The standard seven-speed S tronic in the Audi RS5 - with its high efficiency ratio and its high-geared top speed - also enhances efficiency. It consists of two clutches and two subsidiary transmissions. Both subsidiary transmissions are continuously active, but only one is powered at any given time by the engine. Gears are alternately shifted by the two clutches - at lightning speed, smoothly, and almost imperceptibly.

The seven-speed S tronic, which was specially reinforced to accommodate the high-revving V8, can operate in fully automatic mode - or the driver can shift via the innovative selector lever or shift paddles on the steering wheel. By means of the standard Audi drive select, the driver can switch in automatic mode among three different options: auto, comfort, and dynamic. In the launch control program, the seven-speed S tronic ensures flawless acceleration from a standstill - at full power and with minimal tire slip.

New quattro technology: the crown-gear differential

Like all RS models, the Audi RS5 also applies its power to the road with quattro permanent all-wheel drive. As for the center differential, which regulates power distribution between the front and rear axles, Audi - the leading all-wheel-drive brand - unveils the next generation: a crown-gear differential.

The self-locking crown-gear center differential is compact and lightweight - and attains a high efficiency ratio.

Thanks to its package of plates, the differential can widely vary the distribution of torque between the front and rear axles. If necessary, up to 70 percent can flow to the front or as much as 85 percent toward the tail end. The 40:60 ratio of the standard rear-biased configuration ensures sporty handling.

This new differential operates in conjunction with electronic torque vectoring, which affects all four wheels. If one of the inside wheels becomes imbalanced while the vehicle is at its operational limits, then the system slightly decelerates the wheel to obviate wheel spin. This results in terrific traction on the one hand while generating a yaw moment which aids cornering.

As a perfect complement to the new quattro drivetrain, Audi can optionally position the sport differential at the rear axle. It actively distributes torque between the rear wheels in order to further boost stability and grip at the vehicle's limits of handling. The electronic management of the Audi RS5 sport differential was designed to be uncompromisingly dynamic.

With regard to the springs, shock absorbers, elastokinematics, and the anti-roll bars, the Audi RS5 chassis exhibits a sporty configuration and renders the body 20 millimeters (0.79 inches) lower than that of the Audi A5. The 19-inch alloy wheels fitted with 265/35 tires are standard. They are executed in an exclusive 5-arm structure design. The Audi RS5 optionally comes with 20-inch wheels and 275/30 tires. Winter wheels featuring the same dimensions are available; the 19-inch wheel is suitable for snow chains.

The brake system employs powerful and internally ventilated discs, which measure 365 millimeters (14.37 inches) in diameter at the front axle. In order to maximize the dissipation of heat, the steel friction rings are perforated and connected by pins to the aluminum brake discs. The high-gloss black brake calipers bearing RS logos are likewise made of aluminum; the front calipers are fitted with eight pistons each. Audi can optionally fit the front axle with ceramic carbon-fiber brake discs measuring 380 millimeters (14.96 inches) in diameter. They are extremely lightweight, strong, and durable. The electronic stabilization program (ESP) integrates a sport mode and can be switched off entirely.

Even more dynamics: Audi drive select

The speed-dependent servotronic steering in the Audi RS5 is especially taut. The standard Audi drive select (a vehicle-dynamics control system) allows the driver to switch among three modes of operation - comfort, auto, and dynamic - to adjust steering, the seven-speed S tronic, the sport differential, the engine, and the exhaust system. And if the car is equipped with the MMI navigation system, a fourth mode allows the driver to customize their own profile.

Novo Palio 2012 Review

The new Palio 2012 comes fully refurbished in order to regainsales.

Dear readers, Fiat finally decided to respond: You want toadvance the launch of Palio all renovated in 2012 to May this year. The Siena should come up in August.

Do not understand how an automaker with Fiat let the situationget to this point: Fiat Palio, who has been near the first place, isranked ninth in sales in the month of February. The magazinessay that fiat does not care much about that at the moment because the sales success of the new Uno, but I do not think this is true. Just because a model is very successful, the companyshould not let another drop in both sales and stay in a badposition in the ranking, especially when it comes to the Fiat Palio, which was the most important product in terms of Fiat's sales.
Well, let's talk a little bit of the model and the new phase.

Totally refurbished, the model looks like the Punto, ie, would be the "little brother" Little Hatch, with the same characteristics, modern and Uno-like inside. The details have not yet, but the trunk must support a higher volume and gain more space insidesome comfort, especially after traveling to the occupants.

The new wheelbase nearly hit the space offered by the bidderGOL.

The Panel, as anticipated in the picture, is very similar to the one,but with more polished wheel, four more large displays followingthe trend panel Punto. The air vents are finally over the sound withrotary nozzles. The buttons are rubberized air conditioning (the finish to the fiat is still higher than competitors). The more expensive versions have digital air conditioning.

The new engines will be 1.6 and 1.8 16v E.torQ. This latestversion should equip state-of-line sporting. Engines have been tested and approved by most magazines and also by consumers.

With the arrival of the new model, the previous version should receive light restyling and take the place of fire version, we say, is totally outdated (interior and exterior of the second generation tothird generation). So you want to fiat, and resume sales of the model, is preparing for the "Chinese invasion" of models withcost-effective, full priced below the competition.

328bhp Audi S3 unleashed

Souped-up hot hatch debuts

A tuning company has tweaked the Audi S3 hot hatch and given it a 70bhp shot in the arm – making it one of the most powerful hatchbacks on sale.

The 165mph-O.CT tuned hatchback sprints to 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds.

Power has been boosted to 328bhp and 313lb/ft of pulling power by fitting a sports exhaust and a new air intake and intercooler designed to feed greater quantities of cold air into the engine.

The electronic engine management system has also been adjusted to provide the driver with more power.

O.CT Tuning has fitted the S3 with its own suspension, hunkering the Audi down on its new O.CT D7 19-inch alloy wheels.

To stop the Audi S3 from high speeds massive 15-inch brakes have been fitted to the car.

Customers can choose to add all the O.CT features to their S3 or cherry pick the ones they want.

To obtain the full power increase you will need to spend £4,200. Suspension upgrades cost £1,065 and the brake system is £2,750.

O.CT’s 19-inch alloys are £1,750 and carbon fibre engine bay accruements including engine, battery and air intake covers start at £263 each.
Launch our EXCLUSIVE slide show of the tuned Audi S3 now.