2010 Audi A3 TDI Pricing – Prius MPGs in a real car

It is still beyond me why anyone in their right mind would drive a hybrid. VW and Audi have been showing the world that diesel technology is far superior in not only driving enjoyment, but even in mileage. When you factor in all the environmental badness that goes into building battery packs and electric motors, the only reason you associate a Prius with green is from envy.

Audi has just announced pricing for their second North American entry into the diesel market. The A3 has always been one of our favorite cars, we love hatchbacks. The car is based on the same platform as VW’s brilliant GTI, but improved even further.

2010 Saab 95 – The Speed of Swede

Divorced from General Motors and now attached to Koenigsegg (the Swedish supercar maker), Saab has just launched its new flagship model, the 2010 9-5. The suits in Trollhättan aren’t the type to rush things — the previous 9-5 model came out in 1999. So this one has some ground to make up on all the competitors that have stayed current and relevant. Still, it could be worse, there could be a recession on.

Nevertheless, at least the new 9-5 seems to have looks on its side, with styling reminiscent of the intriguing Aero-X Concept that has been doing the motor show rounds these past few years. This car was under development while Saab was still part of GM, but someone at the company has managed to preserve a touch of real Scandinavian design.

The 2010 Lotus Exige Cup 260: someone cares about us

With Porsche producing SUVs and sedans, and Ferrari making folding hard-top cars for trophy wives instead of hard-core cars for trophy cabinets, it’s nice to see a company still coming out with stuff for dedicated driving enthusiasts. So it’s with a spine-tingling thrill that we present the supercharged and intercooled 2010 Lotus Exige Cup 260.

In what is essentially a road-legal track car, the Exige Cup 260 is homologated for road use in Europe, Asia and North America. And even though it keeps the same amount of power as the 2009 model, it’s 83.6 pounds lighter (in keeping with the Lotus lightness philosophy) and has a more efficient aerodynamic package. Note also the larger roof scoop.

2010 Audi S4 – Family Value

The Audi S4 has always been one of the hottest sedans in the world. Most people don’t remember the first North American S4 introduced back in 1992, but it was a turbo five-cylinder monster based on the C4 chassis. The latest version of the S4, the B8, is set to hit dealerships any day now and Audi has just released final pricing. Most media outlets were predicting a price just under that of the $55,000 BMW M3. However, Audi has surprised the masses and brought it in at a base price of only $45,900.

The well-equipped S4 is now competing head to head with the BMW 335. A comparably equipped 335ix is now within a grand of the Audi and that’s without leather. Having driven both the B8 and e90 platform extensively, I would take the Audi any day of the week. There are still a large number of buyers that will buy the BMW for the propeller on the hood. There are probably an equal number of buyers who will wax poetically about the thrills of a rear wheel drive platform and just being either too fast or furious of drivers to live with all wheel drive. Our experience has shown that most of these blowhards have never been on a racetrack and wouldn’t know a power slide from slip and slide anyway.

The 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo: pass the tissues

This may be difficult to write, because of drool on the keyboard, but here goes… the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo has been revealed.

It features a new 3.8-liter flat six engine with direct fuel injection and variable turbine geometry (VTG) for its twin blowers, the combination being a Porsche first. Oh, and it has the same intake manifold as the GT2 which uses air expansion to cool hot intake charge. We all remember Boyle’s Law right?

So, when kitted out with the Sport Chrono Package and PDK, the numbers run like this: 500 hp (20 more than the previous model) and 516 lb-ft of torque (up from 501). Zero to 60 mph is dispatched in a mere 3.2 seconds and top speed is 194 mph.

Volkswagen Golf 6 Wins World Car of the Year

Apparently we aren’t the only ones impressed with the new Volkswagen Golf mk6. A group of 59 automotive journalists just named VW’s venerable hatchback World Car of the Year. 51 cars were nominated, a short list of 10 were selected to be judged. Of the top ten, three finalists were selected; the Golf, the Ford Fiesta and the Toyota IQ. Cars were judged on merit, value, safety, environmental impact and emotional appeal. The Volkswagen obviously represents the best in all these categories combined.

We drove the Golf earlier this year and were extremely impressed. We called it the best value in entry-level cars on the market. The build quality and materials used are simply unmatched. A consumer can spend a lot more on a car and not get as nice of interior as you will find in the Golf. The new mk6 isn’t remarkably different from the mk5 that it replaces. It is however more refined, stiffer, quieter and better looking by a long shot.