NEW Porsche Cayenne - SPY SNAPS

The new model features a much sleeker appearance than the current Cayenne. One of our shooters got a glimpse of the interior and reports that the cabin is heavily influenced by the new Porsche Panamera, so expect the 2011 Cayenne to have a vastly improved interior that uses higher quality materials.







the new Cayenne should boast a variety of petrol, diesel and hybrid engines. On the petrol side, we can expect the 2011 Cayenne S to come with the Panamera's 4.8-litre V8 engine, while the top-of-the-line Cayenne Turbo should be powered by the 4.8-litre biturbo V8 engine from the Panamera Turbo. In diesel models, expect the current Volkswagen V6 TDI engine to carry over to the next generation with some minor improvements. Considering that Porsche's first Cayenne S hybrid will appear as a 2010 model, its hybrid powertrain should carry over to the 2011 Cayenne virtually unchanged. Power for the hybrid comes from Audi's supercharged 3.0-litre V6 engine that produces 333 horsepower, and it is connected to a three-phase synchronous electric motor which receives power from a 38 kW NiMH battery which is located in the spare wheel well.

BMW i8 Hybrid SPY SNAPS

The new BMW supercar has been snapped by spy photographers. Behind rose-tinted specs it’s a modern-day M1, but in truth it’s a very different kind of car. It should usher in the age of the clean supercar, with a hybrid drivetrain linking a small internal combustion engine (BMW has a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol unit on the way) and electric motors.





No official details are yet available, but rumours suggest the engine will provide a sub-5.0sec 0-100km/h time. Top speed is likely to be a typically Germanic 300km/h (limited), while fuel economy should be incredible. The hybrid technology, used alongside BMW’s impressive EfficientDynamics is set to do the trick.

BMW 328 Hommage

BMW has gone back to the future to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 328 sports car with its latest concept.


Unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este event in Italy, the 328 Hommage harks back to the legendary BMW.
With its leather bonnet straps, distinctive wheels and the return of the more traditional, vertical kidney grille, it harks back to the era of its iconic predecessor. A marked absence of doors and a split windscreen are also nods towards the 328 racing car of the mid-1930s, which at 780kg, weighed as much as an early Lotus Elise.


The 328 Hommage’s thoroughly modern body is created using carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CRP), however, and is wholly removed from its thirties forebear, instead pointing the way forward for BMW construction in the future.

Porsche Goes Electric

The Porsche Boxster has gone battery powered.





The electric revolution is continuing to gather momentum at Porsche with the creation of an all-electric plug-in version of the Boxster, called the Boxster E.



Rear and four-wheel-drive variants of the development car, which features a lithium ion battery pack in place of the sports car’s usual petrol-powered straight six, were unveiled at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum, in Berlin.



Weighing in at around 1600kg, but with electric motors capable of delivering the equivalent of 241bhp and 398lb ft of torque, Stuttgart’s volt driven vehicle created a buzz at the annual sustainable mobility event.

VW Tiguan gets engines with BluMotion Technology

Tiguan is the latest Volkswagen model to have engines with BlueMotion Technology added into its range. The new Touareg and Volkswagen CC are all equipped with fuel efficient TDI engines with BlueMotion Technology. BlueMotion Technology models feature Stop-Start system and regenerative braking.

The 1.4 TSI 90kW 4x2, 1.4 TSI 110kW 4x2 and 2.0 TDI 81kW 4x2 are the three derivatives that will carry the BlueMotion Technology badge in the Tiguan model range

Vivaciously, Vigorous, Volvo V60 -

One of the things I admire about Volvo is the focus shown by its designers and engineers. They are the snipers of the car industry, lying in wait while the enemy blunders aimlessly about with cars that all follow similar styling and similar gadgetry to one another and then, boom, they deliver a killer shot that never misses.

Don’t these German car manufacturers realise that it’s much more fun to pick and mix opinions rather than buying a sort of compilation album of a car. It’s why I’m so supportive of the Swedish. Because they do the last thing anyone would expect.

And it’s also why I have such a downer on Audi’s. Sure they’re great cars but they’re like magnolia paint. It’s warm and practical and goes with anything but what it says most of all is I Have No Imagination.

The Volvo V60, is a little bit different. So whenever I see someone in a 2011 Volvo I’m overcome with a wave of respect, because here is someone who has paid a respectable amount of money to stand out in a crowd. I like that, and as a result I was desperately looking forward to my first go in the new model.

It has a 1.6 litre turbo charged engine that kicks out 110kw. It’ll do 0-60 in 5.5sec and could easily hit 200km.

 

Anyway, off I drove, my destination, Hermanus. The Volvo gearbox’s shifts sharp and smooth, with a gentle whistle of the turbo as a sort of background symphony to the orchestra that was this vehicles presence, sharp demeanor and cock pit like feel. Pretty soon, the road opened up, Far East Movement came on the radio, and with a determined shove I put my foot down.

And pushed a knob on the steering wheel that I assumed controlled the volume. It didn’t. It changed the station, so now instead of Good Hope FM I had some local group babble warbling on 5fm. Damn. So after chuckling to myself at the absolute trash coming through the cars crisp sound system and fiddling with some settings the car presents me with a million local alternatives that nobody who has R 350 000 to spend on a car would ever listen to. I just want one button for Good Hope and one for my CD’s. And that’s it.

Eventually I relocated Far East Movement but unfortunately, they had been replaced with a miserable sounding group called Die Antwoord.

Now, the problem with making a family hatch butch is that it becomes bigger and therefore harder to park. And heavier, too, which means less oomph and more frequent trips to the pumps. The downsides seem big on paper but in reality all is surprisingly good.

The Volvo V60 rides smoothly, thanks to a sports suspension, and if a sensor detects that you may be to close to a pedestrian, it will automatically brake for you. Engine-wise, I have tried both the 2.0 petrol, which delivers a cheeky 149kw, and this 1.6 petrol, which was perfectly all right.

To drive, then, it’s good. And it’s a nice place to be as well. You easily get three adults on the back seat and the finishes are terrific, an eclectic mix of supple leather, chrome and big sumptuous dashboard. I like the new styling of the buttons and the boot literally will swallow whatever you throw into it. In my opinion, Volvo’s new range of cheeky cars – despite appearances – is up against the best of the best and holds it’s own in mixed company, think : BMW 5 series Audi A6, Mercedes C class.

The Volvo, of course, is nicer to drive – with a lower centre of gravity it has to be, and it’s easier to park as well. And cheaper. And more roomy in the back. And therfore as you could guess, is the one I’d buy.

The Volvo gives you a sense of wellbeing, a sense that while you may live in a normal house with two normal children, at least the car you use makes you look a little bit interesting.

And besides, why should I have to live in some German geek’s wet dream? I have discovered that deep beneath the layers of utter and complete electronic bliss, and the rather gorgeous exterior, there’s one truly amazing car. A Volvo V60.

New M5

The launch of the new BMW M5 is creeping ever closer and car enthusiasts the world over are dying to get their hands on it. BMW has now revealed that the new M5 will be offered, at some stage, with a four-wheel-drive system. With 412kW and the security of four-wheel-drive, the M5 will be one hell of a machine

Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 Diesel Review

Buying fuel is surely the most painful experience known to man, partly because petrol stations are such unpleasant places, with their miserable staff and less than kosher pastry specials on offer, and mostly because the cost is just so enormous.

It costs nearly R500 to fill my car, and 400 kilometres later I have to spend another R500 to fill it up again. And for what? It’s not like spending R500 on dinner, which would be memorable and pleasant. We only use fuel to get us to work, which is boring, or to the shops at weekends, which is hateful.

Fuel is like toilet cleaner: something you must have in your daily life but that is extremely boring. And that’s why all of us want to go as far as possible between fill-ups. It therefore makes sense to make fuel economy a central pillar of our new car-buying decisions.

Allow me to offer you a fast fact: gaining extra mileage is all to do with how you brake and how you accelerate. It’s about finesse, reading the road ahead, anticipating, treating the pedals and the steering wheel as though they are made from glass. It’s about the shoes you wear, and turning the air-conditioning off.

Now, you may be tempted by all of this, but be warned, It is extremely boring and unbelievably tiring. Going into town for a litre of milk can become more exhausting than trying to hop there on one leg. And for what?

It’s probably better then, if you want to save money — and we do — to choose a car, and then see if another manufacturer can sell you something similar that ticks your boxes in looks and performance. Economical performance.


And that brings me, briefly, to the all new Chevrolet Cruze. A car that goes, stops and steers with a panache and a zest that is extremely rare among four-door vehicles. Lovely, and it costs under R 300 000.


So make no mistake: financially, in terms of value for money the Chevrolet smashes other cars in it’s segment, completely and utterly.

Part of the reason is its 2.0 litre, which develops an invigorating 110kw. The Chevrolet is stylish, sexy and surprisingly quick off the mark. The manual version I drove will hit 200km with absurd ease. And it accelerates with a pull that truly left me smiling. It also makes an utterly irresistible growl. Like a BMW but more refined. More muted.

And now you are expecting the “but”. But there isn’t one. Maybe the steering is a bit too light, but other than this it handles beautifully. Even more surprising is the interior. Trimmed with an aesthetic appeal, it is — and you won’t believe this — a nice place to be. The absolute kicker for me though, is without a doubt the fuel consumption or lack thereof. This Chevrolet literally gave me the impression that it ran on an oil rag.


Of course with all these impressive characteristics, you’d expect the illusion to be gone when you look at the exterior. It isn’t. No. I’m sorry but this Chevrolet Cruze is down right sexy and offers a fuel economy to performance ratio I have yet to experience.


I believe that ultimately there are other cars that would be more satisfying and a touch more crisp. But if you had one of many other vehicles you’d have to drive it carefully, to save fuel. With the Chevrolet, you can blast through fuel increases at 200km per hour, in style, knowing you made the savings when you bought it.