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Audi's electric E-Tron Quattro spied for first time in testing

Last October, Audi's chairman said the company would be launching its first mainstream full electric car: the E-Tron Quattro crossover. The car was first shown in 2015 as a concept, and now we got our first glimpse of a production version in testing, thanks to one of our spy photographers. From the looks of it, it won't stray far from the concept. Up front, the E-Tron has the same square-jawed hexagonal grille as the concept, and it's flanked by headlights similar to those of the new A8. It does differ from the concept a bit in the pattern of the grille. Instead of the odd horizontal slats, it has large vertical bars that were first shown on the Audi Q8 concept. The grille in the lower bumper is also a little larger and more simplified than the concept, and the hood vents have disappeared. The side profile continues to draw from the E-Tron concept. It looks more like a lifted wagon than a traditional, upright crossover. The heavy use of black plastic cladding and wheel arches also is nearly identical to the concept. It should also make the E-Tron look right at home next to the A4 Allroad. At the back, the E-Tron also retains its fairly raked rear window. There has been some simplification. It seems the full-width taillights have disappeared in favor of more conventional separate lamps. The polished aluminum faux skid plate in the rear bumper has also been traded for black plastic. We will probably see the production version of the E-Tron within a year. Audi already confirmed that it would begin production in 2018 at a factory in Brussels, Belgium, and it will launch a new line of EVs for the company. When the concept was shown, Audi said the E-Tron would produce 429 horsepower from three electric motors and have a range of 311 miles. Audi also claimed that with a powerful enough charger, it could recharge fully in 50 minutes. There's a decent chance those numbers won't change too much. The charging capability might not be there, but the power and range would make the E-Tron Quattro a close competitor to the Tesla Model S, which gets under 300 miles of range with the 75 models, and over 300 with the Model S 100s. Related Video: Featured Gallery Audi E-Tron Quattro View 11 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Green Spy Photos Audi Technology Emerging Technologies Crossover SUV Wagon Electric Future Vehicles Luxury audi e-tron Audi e-tron Concept audi e-tron quattro concept

Car and Driver lists 10Best for 2013, same as it ever was

Forgive us for having the distinct feeling of déjà vu, but it certainly feels like we've been here before. By that we are referring Car and Driver and the announcement of its annual 10Best vehicles for 2013. To be sure, it's an impressive selection of cars that combine heart-pounding performance and frugal sensibilities, but it also represents something of a broken record on the part of C/D. We're not so sure that's a flaw, though, as the resulting list is tough to argue with.
Vehicles like the Ford Mustang, Porsche Boxster, and BMW 3 Series have maintained their high-horsepower spots on this list for several years now. Even on the more practical and nimble end, the Honda Accord, Honda Fit and Mazda Miata have not budged. These continued spots are even in light of redesigns for some vehicles such as the Accord, Boxster and 3 Series.
In fact, the only newcomer to the 10Best list this year are the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins, which knocked out the Cadillac CTS-V. We think it would have been a huge misstep to have excluded the FR-S/BRZ, even in light of the supercharged Caddy's lamentable departure from 10Best.

Audi RS5 gets big turbocharged power and an angry new look

Menace has always been one of the keys to Audi's RS 5 coupe, from the fat wheel arches to the rumbling evocative exhaust note to the brutal straight-line performance. That's not going to change with the new version, but Audi is talking loudly and proudly about how the RS 5 debuts the new RS design language, partly in the hope that people don't labor on the disappearance of its V8 engine. Yes, the all-new RS 5 Coupe uses the same Porsche-engineered biturbo V6 as the Porsche Panamera, and uses it to such effect that it extracts 444 horsepower and 443 pound feet of torque from its 2.9 liters of displacement. Those 443 lb-ft is a full 125 more than the V8 could ever muster, and it's available from 1,900 rpm to 5,000 rpm. That kind of power is sufficient to push the RS 5 to 62 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds on the way to a limited 155-mph top speed (there's an optional 174-mph limiter, too). The all-wheel-drive Quattro RS 5 Coupe doesn't suffer much in performance in the switch from the naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 to the force feeding of a V6, but it remains to be proven whether the sound can be as captivating. The Porsche-sourced engine continues the current trend of "hot vee" engines, situating both of its turbochargers inside the vee-angle of the engine, and combines centrally-mounted direct fuel injectors with a short stroke to boost power and improve economy. The high-compression Miller-cycle motor also lets the RS 5 Coupe pull its consumption down 17 percent to 32 miles per gallon (or 197 grams/km of CO2 emissions) on the European driving cycle. Expect US mileage numbers to be significantly lower. The new RS 5 is also significantly lighter, pulling 132 pounds from the previous V8-powered model's mass, despite all the turbo plumbing, to weigh 3,649 pounds. A BMW M4-style carbon-fiber roof helps keep the weight down. Audi feeds its newfound V6 power through an eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive, with 60 percent of the drive nominally headed to the rear end. The hard-turning sport differential is an option. Audi's reborn RS 5 rides on five-link suspension systems at both ends to keep suspension bits precisely location and improve ride quality, while sitting 0.8 inches lower than the standard A5 Coupe. It has the usual Audi Sport array of go-faster options for its go-fastest front-engined coupe, including the more aggressive Dynamic Ride Control damping system, carbon-ceramic brakes and sharper steering ratios.