2008 Audi Tt Roadster Convertible 2.0 Tfsi S Tronic on 2040-cars

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Bentley doubles down on diesels with a triple-charged Bentayga

Volkswagen Group isn't totally giving up on diesels. While its flagship VW brand is clearly tarnished, the ultra-luxury Bentley division just revealed plans for its first oil-burner, a triple-charged 4.0-liter V8 that produces 429 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. If the powertrain sounds familiar, that's because it's the same one found in the Audi SQ7 TDI. It's a clever system capable of giving what Bentley claims as the world's fastest diesel SUV a top speed of 168 miles per hour and a zero-to-62 mph time of 4.8 seconds. The SQ7 TDI can get to 62 mph in the same time, but is electronically limited to 155 mph, because it wouldn't make sense if the cheaper SUV could outperform the much more expensive one. The Bentayga also emits the lowest CO2 output of any Bentley and has a range of over 621 miles on one tank. Despite having a curb weight of 5,269 pounds, Bentley claims the Bentayga can get a combined rating of 35.8 mpg on the European cycle. The Bentayga Diesel may not be as powerful or as fast as the W12-powered model, but it's a lot more fuel efficient as the latter achieves a combined rating of 21.6 mpg on the European cycle. Other than the new engine, the Bentayga diesel is nearly identical to its gasoline-powered twin except for some discreet "V8 Diesel" badges on the front doors, a new exhaust outlet design, and a black grille. A Bentley spokesperson confirmed that the Bentayga diesel would not be sold in the US. And since Bentley won't be at this year's Paris Motor Show, don't get your hopes up on spotting the vehicle there. The diesel-powered SUV will go on sale in Europe early next year, which will be followed by its release in Russia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan. Pricing for the SUV has not been announced yet. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Bentley Bentayga Diesel View 20 Photos News Source: BentleyImage Credit: Bentley Green Audi Bentley SUV Diesel Vehicles Luxury Performance bentley bentayga

Audi and Jaguar Land Rover recalls address seatbelt issues

Audi and Jaguar Land Rover are each recalling several thousand vehicles for separate potential seatbelt issues. The recalls cover the 2022 Audi A3 and S3; 2022 Jaguar F-Type, F-Pace and XF; and the 2022-23 Land Rover Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar. Examples of these vehicles may have shipped with seatbelt pretensioners that will not function properly in the event of an accident.  Audi is recalling its sedans for tensioner devices that may not adequately restrain drivers or passengers during a crash. The issue was discovered during Korean market crash testing of the high-performance RS 3.  "The seat belt tensioner in the affected vehicles serve the purpose of holding the passenger in his position in the seat," Audi said in its defect report to NHTSA. "In the event of a crash, the retention force of the seat belt may not reach the intended level. As a result, the position of the body can be further to the front of the seat, which leads to a negative influence on the whole restraint system, increasing the risk of injury." A different company, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), meanwhile, also has an issue with a batch of pretensioners installed in its cars and SUVs. Pretensioners are the devices that fire off to rapidly retract the seatbelt when a crash is detected. Most utilize an explosive charge and pressure tube JLR says that some pretensioner devices provided by one of its suppliers may not have properly-specified pressure tubes that may not channel the gasses to the retraction mechanism correctly.  "A damaged front seat belt pretensioner tube may have been installed on the seat belt retractor," JLR's report said. "This may result in a reduced level or complete loss of pre-tensioning in the event of a crash and increased occupant injury." Owners of the models included in both recall campaigns should receive notices from the manufacturers in the coming months.  Related video: Recalls Audi Jaguar Land Rover Ownership Safety SUV Sedan

Audi's CES interior concept foretells a screen-filled A8

Audi is once again offering a glimpse into its future interior-design plans at CES. The new setup is called Virtual Dashboard and is both an extension and an evolution of Virtual Cockpit, which made its debut in Vegas two years ago before winding up in the TT. While this interior mockup is pulled from Audi's recent E-Tron Quattro concept, our man on the ground at CES was told this is "very close" to the interior we'll see in the next Audi A8, which is due in a year or so. Virtual Dashboard is screen-heavy in stark contrast to Virtual Cockpit's single, driver-focussed gauge display. It keeps that and adds a pair of screens to the mix, all of them using OLED (organic light-emitting diode) tech. The central screen measures 14.1 inches diagonally and is curved with a rhomboid border; its AMOLED (active matrix organic light-emitting diode) allows for the irregular shape and curvature. Below that sits a more normal, rectangular screen; both are very well integrated into their surroundings. And as in many current Audis, the shift lever acts as a comfy wrist rest. On the top screen, drivers and passengers get what Audi calls classic information – navigation, audio, settings. The lower screen provides big favorite buttons and also houses on-screen buttons for the climate control. When it's called for, the lower display turns into an input tablet for handwritten entries, an evolution of the small separate touchpad offered in current Audis. The displays use swiping and other gestures familiar to smartphone users, which allow them to interact with each other, for example when swiping to accept a call and move its info to the gauge display. The screens provide haptic feedback that goes beyond what automakers are offering today. Our man at CES says button presses only result from deliberate presses of the screen, meaning you can rest a finger over your selection and it won't activate until you press, just like a real button. Novel. The steering-wheel controls also provide haptic feedback and have been simplified compared to what's on Virtual Cockpit today. When it hits production in the A8 and other vehicles, all of this will be built on the next generation of Audi's infotainment platform, which it's creatively calling MIB2+. It offers more computing power than the current MIB2 system, allowing it to run more displays and offer more connected services over an LTE connection.