Audi has confirmed that it will start selling the Q3 small SUV in 2011. The chairman of the board of Audi AG Rupert Stadler said the premium brand’s smallest SUV yet is to be built in Spain at the SEAT manufacturing facility. The Q5 is produced in Germany while the Q7 is made for Audi in Slovakia.
“We are counting on this Spanish site's efficiency,” says Stadler, “the excellent quality of the Production department, and its highly trained staff. We will use the Group's synergies to sharpen our competitive edge and help protect around 1,200 jobs. The decision furthermore safeguards workplaces at other Audi locations.”
According to Stadler, about €300 million (R3.5 billion) has been spent in developing the Q3. It’s a car that is smaller than the new Q5 and will compete with the BMW X1 when it comes into market.
It will feature engines like the VW Group’s 1.4TSI, 1.8 TSI and 2.0-litre TDI.
South Africa can expect to receive its first Audi Q3 units in 2012 at prices which I believe will start at over R480 000.
*pictures used are those of the Audi Cross Coupe Concept on which the Q5 is based.
I’d probably say this is the most aggressive-looking car in its segment, next to the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. Just from the drooping front grille with a mashed black cover and the square-slit bottom bumper, one immediately realises this ain’t your ordinary mama's ML. The headlights are big and clear, being complemented by the round foglights below. The running board on the sides gives it authority, kinda like those cars that secret agents use when protecting VIPs.
It scares me.
It’s meant to scare the opposition away. It’s also meant to help its buyers feel special and exclusive, make them see they’ve bought a car that stands out from the rest. Boy does it stand out! Those massive 21-inch tyres with the smokey rims almost fill up the wheel arches which are already quite fat themselves. At the rear two pieces of kit are dead giveaways; the four shiny oval tailpipes and the rear diffuser that separates them. The side mirrors fold when the "lock" button is pushed on the key.
Ok, the looks are definitely there. What about the go?
Well if you glance at the quick stats you’ll realise that they read like figures attained by a sports car, which the ML 63 AMG quite is. I reckon though, that with a better gearing of the 7-speeder the car would go quicker. Take-off tests were done using the M-Sport mode which allows the driver to change gears using the shift paddles behind the steering wheel. Even in this way the changes are just not quick enough. In fact you are probably better off leaving the car in full automatic mode (Comfort or Sport) rather than endure the wait for the next gear long after you’ve selected it.
Other than that?
Other than that you have a full blown performance vehicle with an engine sound fit to be part of a bass vocal group led by Vin Diesel. The steering wheel is flat-bottomed and not exactly round. Grip is sticky on it and it turns very well. The alloy paddles behind it are easy to use – the right-hand one is to shift up, left-hand to shift down. On the dashboard are gadgets like the screen to operate wizardry such as satellite navigation, radio/CD player and the SD card slot. Foot pedals are made of an alloy with rubber buttons for grasping any type of shoe sole. Electronically adjustable seats made of leather and Alcantara are fitted and sport AMG logos.
I don’t see much interior difference from the normal ML.
I’ve just explained to you the differences!
But what else is different?
Our test car came with the rear DVD screens which are not installed on the headrests as expected but stick out like they are aftermarket gadgets. Nevertheless the DVD system is state-of-the-art and quite interesting in that the wireless headphones only work in the zone where the screen is on. For example if you switch on the left rear screen, put the headphones on and shift into the rear middle area the headphones stop working. Likewise if you stick your head out the window or peep into the front area.
What happens around the bends?
Could be fun if you are careful, could be a dip on the grass/gravel/pedestrian if you are not. Understand the ML 63 AMG is too high to corner like a smaller sports car, so it won’t. It does however, almost corner like a big sports sedan when the suspension has been lowered (through a button on the centre console). The 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system also plays its part in keeping the car stuck on the road. Again, the letdown is the gearbox with its delayed manual changes.
Does it work?
For what it was intended yes - fast, powerful, brawny SUV. For excursions off the beaten track, no.
QUICK STATS
MERCEDES-BENZ ML 63 AMG
ENGINE: 6.2-litre V8 naturally aspirated
POWER: 375kW / 510hp at 6800rpm; 630Nm at 5200rpm
0 – 100KM/H: 6.5 seconds
GEARBOX: 7-speed G-Tronic
TOP SPEED: 250km/h
FUEL AVERAGE: 18.6 l/100km
CO2 e: 392 g/km
PRICE: R1 105 000
NATURAL RIVALS: BMW X5 M (in SA in 2010), Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
*PRICE RIVALS: PORSCHE 911 Targa 4 Coupe Tiptronic
BABE-MAGNETIC FACTOR: Very High
*A price rival falls within R20 000 or so of the subject’s price on either side of its price spectrum for cars over R350 000, R10 000 for cars of between R250 000 and R350 000 and R5 000 for cars below R250 000.
Just as it was said before, Jaguar is revealing the brand new XJ large sedan in July. This will be the first completely-redesigned XJ since…well, pretty much ever. It’s no secret that the XJ has been to Jaguar what the 911 is to Porsche but with a very different outcome. Whereas the 911 has also never really changed – you can identify one from 1979 as quickly you would one from 2009 – the XJ kind of weighed heavily on the Jaguar brand. No more says Jaguar.
All we have for now is this image that acts like an appetiser. Not much can be made out of it though, except to say the roof is quite long and the grille will thrill. Actually this rendering seems to be very close to what we see here.
The 2009 XJ will be shown in London on the 9th of July. Featuring aluminium body architecture, the car will use the new range of family engines. These include the 202kW, 600Nm twin turbo diesel and the 380kW supercharged V8. As expected customers will be able to choose between a standard length car or a long-wheelbase one.
Among the luxury features will be a panoramic glass roof. I also reckon technologies like adjustable air suspension, LED lighting and a high-tech gearbox will come standard. Inside comforts should include iPod jacks, USB ports, a touch-screen satellite navigation system with an on-board trip computer, electronically-adjustable heated seats with a heated steering wheel and high quality build materials.
Jaguar South Africa will start selling the new car from April 2010 but orders for it have already opened.
Forgive Porsche for not noticing that the new Boxster looks like the old one. Well, at least in the eyes of those not very familiar with the brand. For the connoisseur it’s pretty clear that the new 2009 Boxster and Boxster S have new wing mirrors which are beefier than the old ones, that it has a redesigned fender line, new headlights are fitted and the front bumper is completely different. LED daytime running lights are available as an extra through a lights package.
The rear end has also gone under the magic scalpel for a treat where new rear lights were installed, a different bumper with a new number plate section is evident and the exhaust pipes have a new shape. These changes are really noticeable if you put the old and new car side by side.
Inside a feeling of more solidity is resonates. The Porsche Communication Management is now much more user-friendly as well and features a CD player with MP3 playability. There’s also a USB port in some models and 7 BOSE speakers to keep you entertained should the growling engine note get monotonous. Yeah right.
Dropping the canvass roof is a matter of pulling a lever and pushing a button. It operate even at speeds of up to 50km/h. Porsche representatives had, at the media conference, claimed the cars would not let any rain in if the tops were open as they drove about. We put that claim to the test and found it to be true, bar a few drops from the sides of the windows. The trick though, is to not stop because as soon as you do that the rain pours in.
But the main attractions are the new engines and the drive experience. Replacing the old 2.7-litre is a 2.9-litre boxer motor with maximum power of 188kW at 6400rpm and torque peak of 290Nm between 4400rpm and 6000rpm. It weighs in at 1335kg unladen. The more potent Boxster S comes with an uprated 3.4-litre engine that makes 228kW at 6400rpm as well plus torque of 360Nm between 4400rpm and 5500rpm.
In a different twist of roles a new Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) gearbox comes standard in the Boxster range while the 6-speed manual is a no-cost option. PDK is a 7-speed double-clutch transmission with changes that are so quick (actually 60% quicker than Porsche’s Tiptronic auto) you hardly ever feel them doing their magic. In Sport Plus mode though, you do feel the neck jerk as you change gears. Because these are proper sports cars the ‘box will hold a gear until the driver initiates the change.
Porsche has not entirely fixed the niggle of the steering-wheel mounted shifters which are simply not practically useful enough. They interfere with the gear changing often since you have to use your thumb rested on the steering wheel to change up and a finger to change down. However, it’s a much better effort than what we had in the Tiptronic version. PDK is also 10kg lighter than the Tiptronic.
The PDK ‘box has helped improve performance for both the Boxster and the S. When taking off the former covers the 0 – 100km/h dash in a claimed 5.8 seconds while the S does the same in 5.2 seconds. An optional Chrono Package with launch control ensures these times are achievable and in a consistent manner as well. I had a go on it myself and you wouldn’t believe how deceptively quick they are, especially the S which by the time it has covered the 100km/h mark you think it’s still going to take off.
You’d expect such performance to come at a heavy price at the pumps, but this isn’t necessarily so. During the launch drive in the winding green hills of KwaZulu Natal between Durban and Pietermaritzburg my driving partner and I didn’t exactly stand around waiting for the sun to set. Given this kind of enthusiastic reception the Boxsters were anticipated to run empty after 200km. We were staring at a three-quarter tank after 100km of pushing hard. Officially the average fuel consumption figures are 8.9 litres per 100km and 9.2 litres per 100km for the Boxster and Boxster S respectively.
Tyres measure205/55 ZR 17 up front and 235/50 ZR 17 at the rear for the Boxster. The Boxster S is shod with 235/40 ZR 18 at the front and 265/40 ZR 18 around its 18-inch rims. The tyres are specially made for Porsche so no other car comes with these types of tyres. They are inflated with nitrogen in order to optimise performance and maximise grip. Porsche Active Suspension Management or PASM is sold as an option. It’s a very useful system for those who wish to change their cars’ performance character, from comfortable right up to stiff and sporty.
Porsche customers in KZN now have a new home to which they can send their vehicles for service. And those who wish to join the Porsche family are certainly most welcome at the new R65 million Porsche Centre in Umhlanga Ridge just down the road from the Gateway Mall. The area is being heavily developed and will soon resemble a shopping Mecca.
