2013 Audi Q7 Tdi Prestige Quattro Tiptronic 3.0l Black S-line on 2040-cars

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2018 Audi A5 gets a manual and S5 gets 369 lb-ft of torque

Update: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated that the A5 was the only Audi model to offer a manual transmission with the 252-horsepower inline-four. Audi will offer the same combination on the A4 in the near future. The text has been updated to reflect this. When Audi revealed the new A5 and S5 coupes, we knew the elegant lines of the European model would come to the United States. But the big question was, would the drivetrains, and in particular, the manual transmission, come along? The answer is yes. The 2018 A5, with its 252-horsepower, 273 lb-ft of torque turbocharged four-cylinder, will be offered in America with both a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and a classic six-speed manual. These combinations will take an A5 to 60 mph in 5.6 or 5.7 seconds, respectively. The A4 sedan will also offer the manual with the same engine soon, in case you need an extra pair of doors. The four-cylinder model is also the only A5 model with a manual, since the turbocharged V6 S5 only comes with an 8-speed automatic. To make up for a lack of shifting involvement, drivers can take advantage of the S5's readily available torque. Like the Euro-spec model, our S5 will come with 369 lb-ft of twist, and it peaks at a stunningly low 1,350 rpm. That torque, combined with the engine's 354 horsepower, launches the S5 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Every type of A5 or S5 also funnels its power through a Quattro all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring. A5 owners can also personalize how their cars ride and handle, with either a sport suspension with different sway bars, shocks, and springs, or with the comfort adaptive damping suspension. The latter uses constantly adjusting electronic shocks for improved ride. The S5 has an available sports adaptive suspension that works similarly, as well as a dynamic steering option that can change steering ratios. Capping things off is an extensive list of gadgets and safety features, some standard, such as the LED interior lighting and panoramic sunroof, and others optional, such as Audi's Virtual Cockpit LCD instrument cluster and lane keeping assist. A new feature for the A5 line is the MMI touch system, which allows drivers to write in characters with their fingers. Something Audi hasn't revealed about the A5 and S5 is the pricing and availability, but those details should come soon. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Audi A5 View 27 Photos Image Credit: Audi LA Auto Show Audi Coupe Luxury Performance quattro audi s5

Felicity Ace sinks with thousands of VWs, Porsches, Lamborghinis

The stricken ship Felicity Ace sank overnight after a week of salvage efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful. The ship, which was carrying up to 4,000 VW Group cars, went to the bottom unexpectedly while a salvage team was attempting to tow it to shore, Bloomberg reports.  "Initial reports from the local salvage team state that the vessel had sunk at around 9AM local time having suffered a list to starboard," Mitsui O.S.K. Lines transportation company (MOL), which owns the Felicity Ace, said in a statement released early Tuesday.    "The last vessel position was around 220nm off the Azores," MOL said. "The salvage crafts will remain around the area to monitor the situation. Further information will be provided as it becomes available." The ship sank after being battered by waves and listing 45 degrees to starboard, the ship’s operator said. “The weather was pretty rough out there,” Pat Adamson, a spokesperson for MOL Ship Management (Singapore), a unit of Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd., said by phone. “And then she sank, which was a surprise.” VW, Porsche, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini-branded models were aboard the ship, which was headed to Rhode Island from GermanyÂ’s Emden port when the fire broke out on Feb. 16.  Rough seas and ongoing fires fueled by the lithium-ion batteries of EVs onboard delayed the ship's salvage and recovery operations for the better part of a week. While the likelihood of salvaging the smoke and potentially fire- and water-damaged vehicles from Felicity Ace's hold was slim to none, some had held out hope that their special-ordered vehicles might survive the mishap.  The Panama-flagged Felicity Ace was safely evacuated of its 22 crew members by the Portuguese navy after a fire started in its hold more than a week ago. The ship can carry up to 4,000 cars. European carmakers declined to discuss how many vehicles and what models were on board, but it appears to have been transporting approximately 2,500 cars, including roughly 1,100 Porsches and an undetermined number of Volkswagens.  The cars aboard were on order. Porsche customers in the United States were being contacted by their dealers, the company said. “We are already working to replace every car affected by this incident and the first new cars will be built soon,” Angus Fitton, vice president of PR at Porsche Cars North America, Inc., told The Associated Press in an email. The ship sank in water nearly 10,000 feet deep, the Portuguese Navy said.

The 2017 Audi A6 is the great luxury sedan we forgot about

The current Audi A6 is getting old. This generation was first sold as a 2012, got a mild facelift for 2016, and is likely to be replaced for 2018 or 2019. So 2017 may be its last year, but it's still my favorite mid-size Germano luxury thing. I just had to be reminded of its existence. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been making big noises in this segment recently, with a new 5 Series on the way and the recently launched E-Class, and that apparently distracted me enough from the A6. There's also the fact the Audi is starting to look a bit anonymous on the road. It's still handsome, sure, but it doesn't stand out like the related A7. The 2016 refresh did just enough to keep it looking contemporary, though, and for 2017 all A6s come standard with the S Line appearance package. That helps. What struck me about the A6 was that it doesn't feel dated inside. Everything is laid out nicely, it's just comfortable, and you can see out of it. The one I drove had the beautiful layered walnut trim – it looks like pin-striped wood. (And no, it wasn't painted this bright blue, although you can get that on a special-order car if you pay $3,900 for Exclusive paint.) There are no huge screens inside, and the A6 won't get Audi's Virtual Cockpit until the next generation, but I didn't miss any of that. All of the excitement of Virtual Cockpit's beautiful reconfigurable screens, and I had forgotten that the display between the gauges it replaces had a perfectly pleasant Google Maps view already. It's the same basic functionality as Virtual Cockpit here, you just can't press a button to minimize the real-life gauges. And I'm fine having actual gauges. I was somewhat surprised, however, to see Apple CarPlay pop up when I plugged in my phone. (It's included for 2017 as part of the Audi smartphone interface, which comes with the Premium Plus trim and above.) Using CarPlay is a bit weird without a touchscreen, just like it is on other Audis and Mercedes products, but the nice thing about CarPlay is that you really don't need to interact with it much, since there isn't much to interact with. Oddly, the touchpad on the center console doesn't work to navigate from CarPlay tile to tile. I got over that pretty quickly and just turned the dial when necessary. There's also a feeling that nothing's missing when you drive it, that Audi couldn't really add much to improve the experience. The car is incredibly smooth and comfortable going down the road.