Car Reviews

It’s time to start saying goodbye. The Audi A3 that is expected at the end of this decade will undoubtedly be electrified in some way, be it a hybrid system or a full EV version. So, the A3 that’s arriving next year is the last with just a gas-burning engine under the hood. Audi engineers seem to recognize the significance of the coming transition, so they really leaned into making the most extreme version of the A3, the RS3, a driver’s car. The new RS3 is a parting shot, a sort of sendoff to pure internal combustion.Like its predecessor, which won a 10Best award in 2018, Audi fits a much-loved and brand-appropriate turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder that dates back to 2011. Compared to the last RS3, the new version develops 401 horsepower from 5600 to 7000 rpm. Torque is up 15 pound-feet to 369. The turbo five is shared with several other cars, but the RS3’s is the most powerful version.

Tobias Sagmeister

Audi restricted our exposure to the new RS3 to a camouflaged pre-production model. Until the car makes its official debut, Audi is taking no chances. We were walked to a windowless studio where we got to see the uncamouflaged car. If you’re familiar with the previous RS3, the new one doesn’t offer many design surprises. The look is typical RS, a heavily meshed grille with enormous nostrils at the front, air vents at the sides, a front splitter, a rear diffuser, and a lip spoiler on the trunk lid. These are the ingredients that upgrade the sedan’s otherwise staid three-box design into a muscle-bound athlete. A 1.0-inch drop from the standard version makes it look even more intimidating. After stepping in, we find racing-style bucket seats with excellent lateral support. The flattened steering wheel has an RS-mode button in the right spoke that catches the eye. Hitting it toggles between the RS3’s RS modes: RS Performance, RS Individual, and the last mode selected.

Tobias Sagmeister

Graphics in the 12.3-inch virtual cockpit in front of the driver have a motorsports vibe. The engine speed appears as a bar graph, torque and power can be displayed, and the car can also track g-forces and lap times. Should you want to quantify the quickness of the RS3, the car provides measurements for standing-start acceleration. These are clearly gimmicks, but they can add a bit of fun to a boring commute. Start running the RS3 hard and the shift indicator in the head-up display proves very useful.Fast driving also reveals razor-sharp but progressive steering. The slightest steering movements become directional changes. Steering assistance can be adjusted in three stages to suit personal preferences. Audi claims that 62 mph comes up in 3.8 seconds and that the RS3 tops out at 180 mph. We expect it to be quicker; the old RS3 could clip off 3.4-second runs to 60 mph. Audi’s five-cylinder 1-2-4-5-3 firing order, as shown on the camouflage film of our pre-production vehicle, works with an active exhaust to create a rich and characteristic sound. A familiar seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with smartly spaced ratios gets high marks from us.

Tobias Sagmeister

There are as many driving modes as there are forward gears: Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, Efficiency, RS Individual, RS Performance, and RS Torque Rear. In our opinion, the selection could be reduced to three modes. In everyday life, you drive comfortably in Auto. If you’re interested in stretching gallons, use Efficiency. When you want to get down to business, you can switch to RS Individual, where personal preferences for the adaptive dampers, steering effort, transmission programming, engine sound, and the amount of aggressiveness of the torque-vectoring rear differential can be stored. RS modes dial back stability control too, but it can also be fully defeated.Without a doubt, the torque-vectoring rear differential may be considered the most significant innovation and most exclusive component in the RS3. As in the all-new 2022 Golf R, the active rear differential is used in place of the regular A3’s Haldex clutch pack, which in all other Quattros manages torque distribution to the front and rear axles. In the RS3, the multiplate clutches vary torque applied to the left- and right-rear wheels. Depending on the driving dynamics mode, up to 50 percent of the engines torque can be applied separately to each rear wheel. Instead of braking the inside wheel in a corner to create yaw to help the car around a corner, the differential directs power to the outer wheel to help the rear end rotate. This fundamentally changes the driving characteristics of this all-wheel-drive car, which normally understeers at the limit. In its most aggressive settings, the RS3 acts like a tail-happy rear-wheel-drive car.

Tobias Sagmeister

Five settings affect the rear diff’s responsiveness and are linked to the driving modes. In Comfort and Efficiency, the two multiplate clutches are almost always disengaged, making the RS3 a front driver. In Auto, the power distribution is balanced, with no noticeable tendency to understeer or oversteer. Switch to Dynamic mode and up to 50 percent of the drive power flows to the rear wheels, resulting in an increasingly involved rear end. In RS Performance mode, the rear differential’s programming works to keep the handling neutral and to maximize corner-exit speeds. For the track bound, at least in Europe, Audi will offer grippy Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires that are well matched to the suspension and torque-vectoring rear differential. No word if those tires will make it to the North American market.The added power and the new differential make for a track-ready sports sedan that will happily do daily duty. When the new RS3 arrives next year, expect a base price around $60,000. If 401-hp isn’t enough, Audi engineers are likely to take the RS3 a bit further in the near future. Rumors are swirling about a 450-hp RS3 to put the 416-hp Mercedes-AMG A45 S in its place. With electrification looming, the internal-combustion engine is working hard to highlight its differences and advantages, and the RS3 is an excellent package in which to show off.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

One of the things we like most about the multi-10Best-winning Volkswagen GTI is its ability to balance conflicting priorities of sportiness and comfort for daily livability. But we’re always intrigued when a company claims to improve on the former without sacrificing the latter, and that’s exactly what VW says about the new, eighth-generation 2022 GTI.Like many generations of GTIs before, the latest model is an iteration of the previous car. The exterior dimensions, in fact, haven’t changed a bit. But VW made a number of chassis tweaks, with the spring rates slightly higher front and rear, bushing changes, and adaptive shocks that can now react more quickly. We bet they’ve also added more rear anti-roll bar to alter the balance, but VW didn’t confirm just how much.

The electronically controlled limited-slip front differential is the same unit as before, but the big difference is new, comprehensive control software—VW calls it Vehicle Dynamics Manager—that optimizes all of the electronically controllable bits. To test out VW’s claim that understeer has been eliminated—a bold claim for any front-engine, front-heavy, front-wheel-drive car—the company invited us to the M1 Concourse country-club track in southeast Michigan to drive seventh-gen and new, Euro-spec GTIs back to back.

Our takeaway: It’s remarkable just how different and improved the new GTI is at the limit, given how similar the hardware is. It turns in far better, holds its line, and has dramatically improved the handling balance at the limit. The new car is also far quicker and grippier, closing in on 1 g of cornering stick on our skidpad during previous testing. Although we wouldn’t go as far as to say that understeer has been eliminated, it’s dramatically reduced from a car that already didn’t suffer excessively from it. VW has indeed taken one of our favorites and improved its dynamics substantially.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Autocorrect constantly tries to change “AMG” to “OMG.” After driving the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, a tightly bundled knot of carbon fiber and malice, you just might let it. Sure, autocorrect, call this car whatever you want. Call it the Mercy-OMG Goat Bonk Serious. That’ll make perfect sense after you spend a few laps rearranging your grey matter with 720 horsepower and 882 pounds of downforce.OK, that downforce figure is at 155 mph, a speed we didn’t attain at The Concours Club, Miami’s new two-mile road course just north of the city. However, with a 2100-foot straightaway, the track offers room for the Black Series to break 130 mph through a fast righthand kink ahead of the braking zone. That’s around the takeoff speed for some of the Gulfstreams parked next door at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. It’s fast enough to get the aero working—in the service of keeping things on the ground rather than flinging them skyward.

Mercedes-AMG

To that end, the Black Series employs many a trick from the race-car playbook. For instance, the front spoiler has two manually adjustable positions—street and race—with the latter extending the spoiler forward and creating a front diffuser. The flat underbody uses fins to channel air to the rear diffuser, accelerating airflow underneath the car and creating a venturi effect. Meanwhile, up top, there’s plenty of venting in the hood and fenders to prevent trapped air from creating lift, and that towering rear wing features an electronically controlled center section that can lay flat for low drag or angle up to 20 degrees for max downforce. (You see it do this under high-speed braking, when it acts as an air brake.) Master mode locks the wing element at its most aggressive angle until 155 mph, when it retracts to reduce drag on the way to the Black Series’s 202-mph top speed.Previous Black Series cars, all the way back to the original 2008 CLK63 AMG Black Series, tended to amp up the handling and visual aggression while leaving the engine mostly alone—the SL65 Black Series used slightly bigger turbochargers than its SL65 kin but wasn’t wildly different under the hood. The GT Black Series, though, installs a flat-plane crank in the 4.0-liter V-8, giving it an entirely different firing order than its lesser brethren. New camshafts and exhaust manifolds are fitted to accommodate the new firing order. Turbochargers with larger compressor wheels deliver 24.6 psi of boost, up from 19.6 psi in the AMG GT R. Benz considers this engine unique enough that it has its own internal code, M178 LS2, thus giving new meaning to the phrase “LS swap.”

Mercedes-AMG

Flat-plane V-8s tend to be screamers—see any Ferrari or the Mustang Shelby GT350—but this one makes its 720 horsepower at a relatively sedate 6700 rpm, 500 rpm shy of the redline and 450 more revolutions than the GT R’s horsepower peak. At idle, the exhaust sizzles like that of a Ferrari or a McLaren, but the decibel count never climbs to a level that makes you think the universe is being torn asunder. That degree of restraint might be appreciated by your HOA in Rancho Nouveau Riche, but a soundtrack this exotic deserves a little more volume. Tubi, line one.To assess the Black Series’s track prowess, we were dispatched for lap sessions with a professional driver in an AMG GT acting as the guide-slash-hare. Normally, this type of setup works well, because superior driving skill in the lead car is countered by increased horsepower or grip in the following one. But the Black Series is so much faster, so much more capable than a standard-issue GT that it wasn’t much of a fight. Staying on the throttle out of corners meant reeling in the GT so quickly that at one point the lead driver toggled the radio and said, “Okay, you’ve got an extra 200 horsepower. I get it.” Come on, let’s not exaggerate. It’s only an extra 197 horsepower. And a two-position, carbon-fiber anti-roll bar up front with a three-way iron bar in back and adjustable camber at both axles and tunable coil-over suspension.

Mercedes-AMG

And a lot more grip. The GT Black Series is shod with fully ridiculous Michelin Pilot Sport Cup R Mercedes-spec rubber. The standard compound is soft (like, race-slick soft) with a harder compound available for high-temperature track use. In either case, this is the closest thing to a Le Mans starting-grid tire that’ll pass your state inspection. In one section of slow esses, the lead GT is painting rubber on every corner exit, its driver heroically dancing it on the edge of adhesion. The Black Series? It’s so within its envelope that it seems like the GT is driving on a different track, possibly one coated with a light layer of Pam cooking spray. The only clue that the Black Series is working is that the air conditioning isn’t. It’s nearly 100 degrees in Southern Florida, and repeated indulgence in wide-open throttle causes the A/C to take a siesta until you relax the pace. Eventually, the car seems to cut power, too, typically on a short straight leading out of a slow sequence of corners. But relentless lapping in triple-digit heat isn’t exactly typical or reasonable use. When you can afford an AMG GT Black Series and a membership at The Concours Club, you can probably also afford to do something else on 100-degree days. You know, like go out on your boat.

Mercedes-AMG

Then again, this is a car we’d want to drive whether or not it had air conditioning or a fancy stereo or seats modeled after the inviting confines of an iron maiden. Whatever. Just give us the 720 horsepower and the wings and spoilers, let’s tee up Master mode and find a track. To enjoy the rewards of the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, all you need is an appreciation for righteous German track cars and $326,050. Autocorrect also likes to change “Mercedes” to “nerve.” You’ll need some of that, too.

Specifications

Specifications
2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black SeriesVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base: $326,050
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 243 in3, 3982 cm3Power: 720 hp @ 6900 rpmTorque: 590 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
7-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 103.7 inLength: 181.3 inWidth: 79.7 inHeight: 50.4 inPassenger Volume: 56 ft3Trunk Volume: 10 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3650 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 2.9 sec100 mph: 6.1 sec1/4-Mile: 10.3 secTop Speed: 202 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 17/15/20 mpg

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

If you relish the 9,000-rpm scream of a naturally aspirated flat-six but otherwise want to turn down the volume on the Porsche 911 GT3 experience, the $163,450 Touring is the GT3 for you. Otherwise mechanically identical to the brilliant, winged GT3, the Touring offers the same sound and fury in a (slightly) subtler package for the exact same price.As with the previous generation, the primary difference between the GT3 Touring and the exhibitionist version is the absence of a rear wing. To create downforce, the Touring has a rear spoiler like lesser 911s that automatically extends at 70 mph. But even without the downforce of the big wing, the Touring’s top speed is a claimed 198 mph with the PDK automatic transmission and 199 with the manual. The rest of the aero bits are shared between the two models, from the paneled underbody to the rear diffuser. Other exterior visual cues unique to the Touring include a body-colored front fascia and bright window frames in place of the GT3’s black trim.
Under the wingless tail is Porsche’s 4.0-liter flat-six, kicking out 502 horsepower at a dizzying 8400 rpm. In keeping with its more roadgoing mission, the Touring comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission. Carried over intact from the previous GT3, its throws are natural and precise, and so is the beautifully weighted clutch. For the first time in a Touring, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is optional. Though it adds nothing to the bottom line, opting for the automatic imparts a 37-pound weight penalty. (Just one more reason to save the manuals.)With the entire 992 lineup being a little taller, longer, and wider than before, Porsche GT boss Andreas Preuninger and his team worked hard to keep the new GT3 Touring from gaining weight. According to Porsche, the Touring comes close, a mere 11 pounds heavier than its predecessor. Most of the credit goes to the use of lightweight components such as a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer hood, thinner glass, and lighter standard brake rotors. Opting for the carbon-ceramic brakes reduces weight by an additional 39 pounds.
With the engine fired, the entire cabin buzzes and hums from the internal-combustion subwoofer out back. At only a tenth of the redline, the big boxer sounds more hyper than its 900-rpm idle would suggest, whirring and chattering away anxiously against its engine mounts. Engaging first gear instantly transforms that anxiety into a wallop of straightforward thrust. Power is unrelentingly direct and linear as the three-stage intake provides the right amount of air from idle to the redline. Porsche puts the manual Touring a half-second behind the automatic to 60 mph, which would put it at 3.2 seconds, as we’ve hit 60 mph in 2.7 seconds in a dual-clutch GT3.Bounding up Angeles Crest Highway in the mountains above Los Angeles, the Touring reminds you that, as glorious as life may be, it is ultimately unfair. That stratospheric redline is deliciously addictive, and yet achieving that goal in third gear catapults you well into triple-digit speeds. As fast as the Touring is, the enormous brakes scrub away the speed instantly and without fuss. Diving into a corner makes you wonder why you bothered braking so much in the first place, as the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires refuse to budge from the chosen line. Sport Cup 2 R tires are newly optional, providing even more insane levels of grip. (We measured 1.11 g on the skidpad in a GT3 on these tires.)
But it’s not just the tires that contribute to the Touring’s impressive handling acumen. With a control-arm front suspension largely borrowed from the mighty 911 RSR racer, front-end stability is nothing short of magical. Steering input isn’t measured in degrees but by gradations. You know you’ve hit your mark even before you get there. It can take time to build trust with the rear-axle steering, however, as it can be occasionally overzealous as it introduces midcorner inputs that revector your path. Porsche more successfully corrected an oversight in the original GT3 Touring. When it debuted in 2018, it attracted buyers who expected a greater deal of customization, only to discover that all Tourings came with coal-pit-colored interiors. This time around, Porsche learned its lesson and will offer the Touring— and not the regular GT3—in a prolific number of interior colors, including several two-tone leather options as part of the Exclusive Leather package that will relieve customers of $15,530.
Should buyers still be in a spending mood, they’ll likely treat themselves to the Touring’s timepiece de résistance, a custom-built chronograph that starts at $8100. Practically every aspect of the watch can be customized, from the color of the hands to the type of titanium used for the bezel. The dial ring alone is offered in 15 Porsche paint colors. Did we mention the back of the case evokes the design of the wheel? Even in standard form, the Touring’s interior is—for the most part—a model of ergonomic simplicity. Shared with the rest of the 911 lineup, the 10.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system responds quickly and features well-organized menus, while the climate-control system is blissfully straightforward in operation. We do wish the center vents didn’t blow directly at gearshift level, and the window/side mirror switches are awkwardly placed aft of the driver’s elbow on the door. It’s just as well, since prominent wind buffeting discourages windows-down motoring.
Lowering the windows would only slow you down, and the Touring is all business. Dead center is a large central tachometer, flanked on either side by two 7.0-inch configurable digital displays. Although it evokes the classic 911 five-gauge setup, the smaller end pods are completely obscured by the steering wheel. In lieu of an overboost function, pressing the center button on the drive-mode dial instead brings up the menus for Sport and Track mode, enabling you to tweak individual settings to your liking. You can enable or disable things like rev matching, sport exhaust, and—most notably—traction and stability control. What’s more, all of these settings are retained after a restart. We appreciated the track-focused display option, which snuffs out the smaller pods in favor of the larger ones. Only the essentials are featured: tachometer, speed, tire pressure, water temperature, and oil pressure.Put into production after the brilliantly raw 911 R proved that customers would line up for a GT3-like 911 that puts experience over lap times, the Touring built upon the R’s back-to-basics formula. Its success made a follow-up inevitable, and this time around the Touring offers more choices to buyers who want their GT3 to wear a tailored suit instead of a tracksuit. With the addition of even more customization options on the horizon, the lack of a fixed wing may soon be its least distinctive feature.

Specifications

Specifications
2022 Porsche 911 GT3 TouringVehicle Type: rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base: $163,450
ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 244 in3, 3996 cm3Power: 502 hp @ 8400 rpmTorque: 346 lb-ft @ 6100 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS
6-speed manual, 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 96.7 inLength: 180.0 inWidth: 72.9 inHeight: 50.4 inPassenger Volume: 49 ft3Cargo Volume: 5 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3200–3250 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 2.7–3.2 sec100 mph: 6.5–7.0 sec1/4-Mile: 10.9–11.4 secTop Speed: 198–199 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 17/14–15/20–21 mpg

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

The original Mini of the 1960s traded in tininess and fun, but a need for practicality and space have steadily increased what constitutes a Mini. The four-door 2021 Mini Cooper Countryman, the largest member of the Mini family, pushes the boundary of what Mini means. A bigger Mini may be a more popular and profitable Mini, but enlarging the concept doesn’t necessarily make for a better car.Although the 2022 Countryman is now on sale, we sampled the identical 2021 version. Mini facelifted the Countryman for 2021; the alterations include a restyled front end and a few other cosmetic changes like new wheels and more exterior color options. Inside, there’s a newly available digital instrument cluster and Amazon Alexa connectivity. Mini also improved the cooling for both of the Countryman’s BMW-sourced turbocharged three- and four-cylinder engines, but the changes don’t alter their outputs.[image id=’ae45bd76-d75e-45d1-9542-168652e1cc89′ mediaId=’ad7ffb0b-8320-469f-ab7e-2711adda59dc’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image][pullquote align=’center’]HIGHS: Maximum practicality for a Mini, delightful BMW-sourced turbo-four engine, frugal highway fuel economy.[/pullquote][editoriallinks id=’76aa667e-d0f3-4181-95d9-f86fa6042c95′ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]Mini sent us a Countryman Cooper S, and that “S” means it skips the standard 134-hp turbo three-cylinder for the larger 189-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four. The extra brawn adds $2800 to the 2022 Cooper’s $29,950 base price, but we’d say it’s worth it since the three-cylinder is a bit overworked in the Countryman. All-wheel drive is optional—ALL4 in Mini-speak—which adds $2000 and an eight-speed automatic transmission; front-drive models feature a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Our ALL4-equipped test car weighed a not-so-Mini 3693 pounds, but scampered to 60 mph in a solid 6.7 seconds. Should you want more speed, Mini will sell you a wagon-like Mini Cooper Clubman S ALL4, and BMW, Mini’s parent company, will happily sell you the Countryman’s platform-mate, the BMW X2 xDrive28i. [image id=’dfdc1565-72c2-4979-8ae8-c28e19a26533′ mediaId=’4097fae9-c687-4d33-b44b-a5761a1e74b5′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’6×4′][/image]The 2.0-liter turbo provides ample low-speed acceleration, especially with the transmission in Sport mode, and the snort from the exhaust on high-rpm shifts is charming. We also enjoyed the snappy and smooth behavior of its torque-converter transmission. It wasn’t until we tried passing dawdlers on the highway that we yearned for the 301-hp Countryman JCW. That special edition is the quickest Mini we’ve ever tested, dashing to 60 mph in an eye-popping 4.4 seconds, and it beats our test car’s 5.4-second 50-to-70-mph passing time by a full two seconds. [pullquote align=’center’]LOWS: Less athletic than other Minis, harsh ride on 19-inch wheels, top trim level is seriously pricey.[/pullquote][image id=’5c486455-d033-4ee5-93e7-7da0204ee6a7′ mediaId=’62c8eebc-7ee3-4329-b0e8-ee11252599a1′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Arguably the best part about driving a Mini is the fun factor. Quick steering and a firm suspension provide a nimbleness and tidier feel than a Mercedes-Benz GLA250 or a Volvo XC40. With all that weight to carry, the Countryman seems reluctant taking down quick corners. Our example rode on optional 19-inch Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 summer tires, a no-cost replacement for the standard all-seasons. Despite the grippier rubber, our car registered a so-so 0.86 g of grip on the skidpad. While the short sidewalls of this wheel-and-tire combo help boost steering feel, they also prompt the Countryman to crash over broken pavement and contributed to the stiff-legged ride—long a Mini weak point. Stops from 70 mph took a lengthy 176 feet.We were stopped by the $43,600 as-tested price of our top-of-the-line Iconic trim model. An $8500 package, Iconic adds adaptive dampers, the 5.0-inch digital gauge cluster, a head-up display, a Harman/Kardon audio system, a panoramic sunroof, a power tailgate, and numerous infotainment upgrades. [image id=’c95f39d4-20ef-4327-b168-5fa3edaca099′ mediaId=’eb49b754-84ec-4cc5-a7f4-96ababb91e05′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Fully loaded or not, the Countryman offers enough cargo space to hold six carry-on suitcases with five passengers on board. Both its roof and driver’s seat are 4.6 inches higher than the Clubman, and that higher seating position is what many buyers want. With the 2.0-liter engine, the 2021 Countryman S ALL4 earns EPA estimates of 23 mpg city, 31 highway, and 26 combined. In our 75-mph fuel-economy test, it exceeded those numbers and posted an impressive 39 mpg. Combined with a calm cruising demeanor, the Countryman swallows highway miles, even if it registers a somewhat loud 72 decibels inside at 70 mph.The Countryman’s high seating position and space inside give the brand a practical crossover-like vehicle. But Mini is known for premium small cars. For drivers who revel in the tidier, more enjoyable handling that Minis have long been known for, the Countryman proves that a larger Mini isn’t necessarily a better Mini.[vehicle type=’specpanel’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=” vehicle-model=” vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=” vehicle-year=”][/vehicle]

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Is it possible to grow bored of Lamborghini’s street-legal lineup? We would doubt it, but the very existence of the Essenza SCV12 suggests there are at least some ultrarich thrill seekers who can’t find sufficiently spiky adrenaline highs from those models that wear license plates. The Essenza is not a road car and is produced by Lamborghini’s motorsport division. But nor is it a race car, because buyers will not be able to compete in it. Like Ferrari’s FXX offerings, it is a track-only special that offers the chance to experience performance beyond that of the factory Huracán GT3, as well as take part in a series of special Essenza-only track days at circuits around the world. We gate-crashed the first of these, held at the Vallelunga Circuit near Rome in baking summer heat, to experience what life at the sharp end of the 1 percent feels like.

Lamborghini

No more than 40 Essenzas will be built—each carrying a base price of about $2.6 million—and Lamborghini says the first 10 have already been delivered to customers. The car I got to drive at Vallelunga was a hard-working prototype, wearing an orange-and-black disguise wrap bearing the entirely superfluous warning “Attenzione: Macchina Veloce,” or “Warning: Fast Car.” But mechanically it was near identical to the far-nicer-looking privately owned cars that were also on track.Meeting the Essenza for the first time in a pit garage with its front and rear clamshells removed reveals its competition pedigree. It shares some of its underbody structure with the Aventador, but more so with the Super Trofeo and GT3 racers, with multi-adjustable dampers, vast cooling ducts, and even integral air jacks to lift all corners at once. The carbon-fiber monocoque has been strengthened to meet the standards of the FIA’s hypercar race class without using a separate roll cage. Confusingly, there are no plans to take the SCV12 racing, although Lamborghini admits some of the technical lessons may be integrated into a next-generation Le Mans Daytona prototype race car when the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) class debuts globally for IMSA and WEC in 2023.

Lamborghini

The Essenza is powered by a version of Lamborghini’s long-serving 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V-12, running without catalysts and now making 819 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. But the engine’s installation has been reversed so it drives a transversely mounted Xtrac sequential racing gearbox mounted behind it and powering the rear axle only. (The Aventador sends torque to all four wheels.) The Essenza’s V-12 isn’t capable of taking structural loads, but the gearbox has to be, as the rear suspension is mounted directly to it. That has required the use of a substantial cradle of metalwork around the motor to link the transmission to the passenger compartment. All of that scaffolding is one reason why the Essenza’s 3042-pound dry weight doesn’t come as a surprise. The cabin is finished to a higher standard than a true competition car, and the lack of roll cage tubing makes it far easier to get in and out of. But once in the tight embrace of the bucket seat, the view forward is pretty much the same as it would be in a true racer, with a yoke-style steering wheel covered in controls and with a display screen in its center. In addition to gearchange paddles and obvious switches for lights and wipers, there are such novelties as a pitlane speed limiter, scroll wheels to adjust the amount of ABS and traction control intervention, and a knob to tweak the rear differential’s preload. This varies the locking effect across the rear wheels when not under power, effectively allowing the handling balance heading into corners to be adjusted front to rear. Brake bias between the two axles is also variable, although I’m advised not to touch this by Emanuele Pirro, the five-time Le Mans winner who helped develop the car and is on hand to give advice to Essenza owners.

Lamborghini

In short there’s a huge amount to remember, most of which is forgotten as soon as I take to the track with instructions to keep up with works race driver Miloš Pavlović in a pace-setting Super Trofeo Evo 2 race car. This proves to be much easier than it sounds.The Essenza has been designed to offer accessible thrills to those with little or no actual competition experience. The basics are all easy, the car even getting an automated clutch in place of the manual pedal-operated one that actual GT racers mostly still use to launch. Just getting it around a track isn’t hard.Straight-line performance is huge, but the grip from the vast Pirelli racing-slick tires is huger. At Pirro’s recommendation I start out with the engine mode in its most restricted setting, limiting output to around 650 horsepower, and even in this devitalized state it is still pretty much matching the Super Trofeo on acceleration. Switching to full power proves the SVC12 has the legs on its racing sister, certainly on Vallelunga’s straights.

Lamborghini

The car doesn’t have big low-down torque, but it is happiest being worked hard and sounds truly savage—even through the padding of a race helmet—well before the shift lights on the steering wheel begin their progressive illumination. The transmission shifts brutally, but the brakes possess less bite than I’m expecting during my first stint. Like most owners’ cars, the prototype Essenza uses motorsport-grade Brembo iron rotors in place of carbon-ceramics, and it initially feels as if they are struggling with the mass of the car.It turns out they’re not. I return to the pits to learn from Pirro, who has been monitoring the car’s telemetry, that I haven’t been pushing the brake pedal hard enough. I’ve managed a peak line pressure of just over 1000 pounds per square inch, but it takes more than 1400 to get the pads biting as hard as they can. Embarrassing, right? Things improve on my second stint, although pushing with more force gets the pedal close to the floor and requires serious effort in the baking-hot cockpit. (The prototype lacks air conditioning, an optional extra all sensible buyers will go for.)

Lamborghini

With Vallelunga’s track surface at over 120 degrees, there is little problem getting heat into the tires. The Pirellis deliver remarkable adhesion but also—in tighter turns—the relatively abrupt breakaway behavior common to slicks. This is sudden enough to make me glad for the watchful eye of the traction control. On the 2.5-mile circuit’s faster sections, the Essenza’s vast wing elements and diffusers create such huge downforce as to make the car feel practically unstickable: In their most aggressive settings, the aero surfaces can generate up to 2650 pounds of downward pressure. The Essenza is a thrilling car, but it is not a scary one. Given that it is up to five seconds a lap quicker than a GT3 car around the circuits Lamborghini has tested it on, that’s an impressive achievement. And also a sensible one, given that much of its target audience will be considerably richer in cash than top-flight motorsport experience. In addition to the cost of the car, buyers will be on the hook for around $36,000 for each event, with the cost of tires, mechanics, maintenance, and—if ambition overtakes talent—repairs beyond that. For those with vastly more money than time, such convenience will be good value.Yet the day at Vallelunga was also a reminder that even the fastest cars soon feel lonely on a track without anyone else to play with. The Essenza’s electrifying performance is less viscerally exciting than wheel-to-wheel combat in something slower and less powerful. What Lamborghini really needs to do is arrange a race series.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

The Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta, and Chevrolet Sonic are gone. Tiny crossovers have largely replaced subcompact cars at the entry-level end of automakers’ lineups. Used-car prices are skyrocketing, leaving buyers with fewer and fewer options for a decent set of budget wheels. Last time we checked, only a handful of new models on sale today carried starting prices below $20,000. But the Kia Rio remains, and the world is better for it.Now in its fourth generation, Kia’s tiny sedan and hatchback are simple, well-executed compact cars without any sort of pretense. Although the Rio received a freshening for 2021, this is hardly a car you buy for its stylish presence on the road. The optional eight-spoke wheels measure just 15 inches in diameter, and the bright shade of blue on our test Rio S hatchback is cheekily called Sporty Blue.[image id=’c1932a79-a5cb-41d8-a64f-9b09e4205c29′ mediaId=’ec8c0a5f-48d0-41c5-a055-93bbb268f395′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’6×4′][/image][pullquote align=’center’]HIGHS: Attractive price, pleasant to drive, good fuel economy.[/pullquote][editoriallinks id=’55d81f98-1ad2-4028-bdd6-ff60f74f314d’ align=’left’][/editoriallinks] But how much flair can you really expect for an all-in, fully loaded as-tested price of just $20,200? That includes the optional $1800 Technology package, which brings more features than you’d expect on such a basic vehicle—an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android auto functions, LED headlights, automatic climate control, proximity-key entry, and pushbutton start.The Rio also drives with a sense of sophistication that belies its price. Its ride is compliant and well damped, its steering is nicely weighted, and the engine is impressively quiet and smooth at idle and when puttering around town. Things do get noisier at highway speeds as the 120-hp, 1.6-liter inline-four works hard to accelerate the 2893-pound Rio whenever you need to merge or pass.[image id=’d51ba22e-aa96-46a1-bdef-8267c76e3a27′ mediaId=’80090a9f-6e92-4fb4-9d1c-3b4113fc4809′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]The 2021 Rio has a different powertrain than the last Rio we tested, a 2018 model. For the 2020 model year, Kia swapped in a newer version of the 1.6-liter engine with less power and torque—down 10 horsepower and 7 pound-feet—but better fuel-efficiency estimates, with the EPA combined number rising from 32 mpg to 36 mpg. We averaged 32 mpg overall. The Rio also exchanged the previous car’s six-speed automatic transmission for a continuously variable automatic.[pullquote align=’center’]LOWS: Small cabin, dowdy looks, sluggish acceleration.[/pullquote][image id=’fd81fe7c-3155-4f9f-aa5a-6d8d8a72c8b1′ mediaId=’653b51b6-daaf-4742-8f3a-823b4880acf8′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]We didn’t measure much of a difference at the test track. The 2021 Rio was 0.1 second slower to 60 mph than the 2018 model, at 8.6 seconds, and a few tenths slower through the quarter-mile. Those aren’t impressive numbers, but they’re about on par with many small crossovers, hardly earth scorchers in their own right.Measuring just 160.0 inches long, the Rio’s hatchback body is more practical than the sedan’s but still can’t be considered spacious. It’s far less space-efficient inside than the dearly departed Honda Fit, with a cramped rear seat and a small cargo area. We fit only four carry-on suitcases in the Rio with the seats up and 15 cases with the seats folded, compared with seven cases and 20 cases for the taller, boxier Kia Soul.[image id=’687aea5a-e179-48d3-af13-c3657be7cad1′ mediaId=’e5300eae-525b-4af0-94e3-7d7580d099ab’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]In fact, it’s not difficult to make the argument for choosing the roomier, more stylish Soul—which has a starting price of $20,365—over this particular Rio as equipped. But if you can forgo the niceties of the Rio’s Technology package, you end up with a car costing right around $18,000. For that kind of money, this hatchback offers a surprising amount of refinement, impressive efficiency, and a decent number of standard features. If you’re tight on cash but want a new car, the Rio is a solid option—and one of a dwindling number of true budget-friendly choices left on the market.[vehicle type=’specpanel’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=” vehicle-model=” vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=” vehicle-year=”][/vehicle]

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Not many automakers have the audacity to take on Ferrari. But when your name is Maserati and you’re looking to crown your lineup with a new 621-hp mid-engine supercar, you’re not going to let a former partner—no matter how storied—stand in the way. The MC20 is the first mid-engine Maserati developed and produced in-house since the Bora and Merak in the early ’70s. The coupe driven here comes first; an electric version and a convertible follow in a year or so.In 1997, Maserati and Ferrari came together under Fiat, a move that curbed Maserati’s supercar ambitions. They split in 2005, and while Maserati still uses Ferrari engines in various models as part of a long-running supply deal, corporate strategy in Modena now calls for complete engineering independence from Maranello. The two-seater MC20 effectively resets the Italian carmaker, which says it will use key parts of its mechanical package—including the new V-6 engine—in upcoming models as part of a broader rejuvenation of the brand. In addition to being the top Maserati model, the MC20 will also bring the company back to racing. Dallara, an Italian race-car manufacturer, collaborated with Maserati on developing the MC20.

The basis for the new car is a carbon-fiber tub, with aluminum substructures supporting the suspension and engine. The body is predominantly carbon fiber. Designed to accept both gasoline and electric powertrains, the MC20 is just over two inches longer than a Ferrari F8 Tributo. The gas MC20 should weigh about 3600 pounds in road spec.The engine, known as Nettuno (Italian for Neptune), is fitted with dry-sump lubrication and patented prechamber ignition technology cribbed from Formula 1. The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 boasts 621 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. The eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle supplied by Tremec features a limited-slip differential as standard; an electronically controlled diff is optional.

Following the latest fashion, the MC20’s steering wheel appears to have more switchgear than its dashboard.
Maserati

A broad powerband allows the MC20 to chug along below 4000 rpm in GT mode, where a heady torque curve provides easy thrust. But in Sport mode it’ll happily chase the 8000-rpm redline in shorter gears. The prechamber ignition system seems to foster outstanding throttle response and great versatility across the rev range. The power delivery is linear, and as with the best engines, the harder you work it, the more determined it becomes. Sound rushes into the cabin without synthetic enhancement. The speed of the upshifts is excellent, whether on part throttle or under full load, but the dual-clutch gearbox doesn’t always live up to the V-6’s greatness, with an occasional clunky downshift.We’re expecting the MC20 to sprint to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds thanks in large part to launch control. Maserati says the top speed is 202 mph, and the engine’s heroics, combined with huge levels of traction, ensure the acceleration doesn’t let up until the speedometer needle is well into triple digits.

The mighty V-6 makes 207.6 horsepower per liter.
Maserati

And the MC20 turns in to corners beautifully. The carbon-fiber structure provides a rigid base, and there is a finely honed feel to the chassis, which mates adaptive dampers to a control-arm setup in front and a multilink suspension in back. The ride is good—almost daily-driver good—provided the dampers are in their soft mode. The weighting of the electrically assisted steering is light. But it’s also quick (2.2 turns lock to lock) and precise, allowing you to place the MC20 confidently at corner entry. It is a car most drivers could drive hard without real trepidation. Turn the stability control off and you can harmlessly send the rear sideways. The point of breakaway is well communicated, allowing you to unsettle the tail and then hold big slides on the throttle. Strong brakes are part of the deal. Optional 15.4-inch front and 14.2-inch rear carbon-ceramic rotors are grabbed by six- and four-piston Brembo calipers, respectively. The brakes like to have some heat in them before they bite with proper intent, but when they do, they generate breathtaking stopping power.Priced at an estimated $213,000, the MC20 takes aim at some heavy-hitting mid-engine rivals. Maserati hopes for annual sales to reach 1500, split between the roadgoing car we drove and the upcoming racing version. North American deliveries are expected later this year. The MC20 makes us wonder about all the supercars Maserati didn’t build when it was in the shadow of the prancing horse. Now that it’s unfettered by team orders, Maserati is poised to show what it can do.

Specifications

Specifications
2022 Maserati MC20Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base (C/D est): $213,000
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 183 in3, 2992 cm3Power: 621 hp @ 7500 rpmTorque: 538 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.3 inLength: 183.8 inWidth: 77.4 inHeight: 48.1 inCurb Weight (C/D est): 3600 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 2.8 sec100 mph: 5.9 sec1/4-Mile: 10.5 secTop Speed: 202 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 17/15/20 mpg

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More