2011 Audi 2.0 Tdi Premium on 2040-cars

Auto blog

IIHS gives 90 models its Top Safety Pick award in one fell swoop

Although the Audi A7 and the Toyota Sienna are positioned on completely different ends of the automotive spectrum, they overlap in one important area: both earned a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). They're among the 49 cars that received the distinction for 2021, while 41 additional models scored a Top Safety Pick (without the plus) award from the institute, bringing the number of winners to 90. Earning a coveted Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS is easier said than done. Recipients need to score a good rating in the institute's six crash tests, be available with a front crash prevention system that scores a superior or advanced rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations, and be offered with (but, crucially, not necessarily fitted standard with) headlights that are either good or acceptable. Vehicles that have good or acceptable headlights across the full range, regardless of trim level, are eligible for the Top Safety Pick+ award. The Hyundai Group (which includes Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis) earned more awards than any other carmaker, with 12 standard Top Safety Pick distinctions and five earning a Pick+. Volvo led the Pick+ chart with its entire lineup of nine vehicles. At the other end of the spectrum, Mitsubishi still hasn't earned a single award, and General Motors only nabbed one of each. Safety is spreading across market segments, according to the IIHS. It pointed out that, in 2020, there were no minivans or pickup trucks on the list of Top Safety Pick recipients. Fast forward to 2021, and the list includes the Honda Odyssey, the Toyota Sienna, and the Ram 1500 crew cab; the first two earned a Pick+. The full list of 2021 award winners is on the IIHS website. Note that, for some models, only units built after a certain date earned an award. This distinction reflects a change (usually in headlights) during the production run. Cars sold in the United States are safer than ever, but automakers still sell vehicles with a zero-star crash test rating in many global markets. Suzuki's 2020 S-Presso flunked a reasonably basic round of tests in 2020. Featured Gallery 2021 Hyundai Palisade View 12 Photos Audi Hyundai Volvo

New Audi Q5 refines original model's winning formula

The first Audi Q5 made a name for itself as a baby Q7, hitting a Goldilocks zone in the crossover segment and challenging BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus for supremacy in what would become one of the luxury market's most important segments. The Q5 is already Audi's best-selling vehicle globally, underscoring its importance to the German brand. Like its predecessor, the second-generation Q5 takes the Q7's looks and tech, then distills it into a smaller package. But unlike the Q7, the Q5 doesn't look quite so dowdy in its redesigned body. We'll attribute that to the smaller front and rear overhangs, which keep the Q5 looking like a crossover instead of a high-riding wagon. The face is mostly a carbon copy of the Q7's, with a prominent grille featuring a silver surround and flanked by a set of clean, stylish headlights. In back, the smaller Audi gets more expressive taillights that harken back to the first-generation model in their lighting signature. We aren't really sure what Audi was going for with its two-tier rear bumper, but it doesn't work and is inarguably the worst piece of an otherwise fashionable design. Aside from restyling the Q5's body, Audi managed to both expand it in every direction and trim nearly 200 pounds of body fat through a mix of "maximum tensile strength" steel and aluminum. Audi is also promising an impressive aerodynamics gain for the new body – the company's engineers slashed the coefficient of drag from 0.33 to 0.30. That should mean a quieter and more efficient drive. Like the Q7, the new Q5 benefits from Audi's push into advanced driver information systems. It gets the 12.3-inch TFT display, also known as Virtual Cockpit, on top of the 8.3-inch MMI display atop the center stack. MMI takes a page from Apple with its Personal Route Assist. Much as CarPlay will automatically display how long it takes you to get home, Audi's new system can study an owner's behavior and suggest the best route to a given spot, even when the navigation isn't active. While we're geeked about the new tech, the powertrain front is less newsy. The European press release lists one gas engine – a 252-horsepower 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder – and four TDI powertrains. Those latter engines are dead to the US, as Audi faces the backlash from parent company Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal.

Bonhams sells '85 Audi Sport Quattro for record $427k at Goodwood

1960s Ferraris and pre-war Bugattis tend to fetch the highest prices at auction, but the Audi Sport Quattro is coming into its own. Just this past January in Scottsdale, RM Auctions sold one for an investment-worthy $401k. But during its sale at the Goodwood Members' Meeting this past weekend, rival auction house Bonhams set a new record for the prototypical hot hatch at GBP287,100 – equivalent at today's exchange rates to over $427,000. The pristine white 1985 example has had three owners to date and 26,000 miles on the odometer, and was joined by a 1982 Audi Quattro A1 Group B rally car that won the 1983 championship and sold for nearly as much as its road-going counterpart at GBP253,480 ($377k). Those weren't even the highest-grossing lots at the auction though. The headline price was achieved by a 1959 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupe that sold for a nice round GBP470,000 ($700k). Other highlights included a 1962 Aston Martin DB4s that went for the equivalent of $382k and a '66 Aston DB6 Vantage that brought in $288k. This was just the first of three auctions that Bonhams will hold at Goodwood this year, with the Festival of Speed scheduled for June 26 and the Revival for September 12. 1980S MOTORING LEGENDS LEAD THE WAY at Bonhams Goodwood Members' Meeting sale 21 Mar 2015, Goodwood 73rd Members' Meeting The ex-Kitty Maurice 1959 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupe was the top lot of the day, selling for GBP470,000. 1980s models achieved excellent prices, with the 1985 Audi Quattro Sport SWB Coupe setting a new world auction record for the model at GBP287,100, and the ex-works, Hannu Mikkola/Arne Hertz 1982 Audi Quattro A1 Group B Rally Car selling for GBP253,480. The first of three Bonhams auctions scheduled at Goodwood for 2015, the Sale saw three-quarters of motor cars finding new homes. Restoration projects also proved popular, with a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV Sports Saloon achieving GBP256,860, and a 1963 Porsche 356B Super 90 Coupe doubling estimate at GBP32,200. Bonhams inaugural Sale at the 73rd Goodwood Members' Meeting showed a strong trend for iconic 1980s sports cars, achieving a new world auction record for an Audi Quattro as the hammer fell at GBP287,100 for the 1985 Sport SWB Coupe model.