1989 Audi 100 Base Wagon 4-door 2.3l on 2040-cars

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2019 Volvo V60 vs. wagon competitors: How they compare on paper

The next-gen Volvo V60 was finally revealed this week. The outgoing model has been on sale since 2011, getting a few minor updates along the way. The new model is based off Volvo's Scalable Platform Architecture that underpins other models like the XC90 and XC60 crossovers and V90 wagon. The V60 will launch with two engines, with a powerful hybrid coming sometime down the line. Since the last V60 hit the market, Audi, Buick and BMW have all released their own flavor of wagon. Like Volvo, BMW sells a traditional sedan-based model. Audi and Buick's wagons are both high-riding models with some very slight off-road pretense, much like Volvo's Cross Country models. We don't have details on the upcoming V60 Cross Country, but, even when accounting for ground clearance, the V60, BMW 3 Series Sport Wagon, A4 Allroad and Buick Regal TourX have a lot of overlap. Check out the specs breakdown below. Discover and compare other wagons and crossovers with our Car Finder and Compare tools. Engines, transmissions and drivetrains Out of the four wagons, the new V60 is the only one that offers two-wheel drive and a hybrid variant. The base V60 T5 uses a 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four and sends power to the front wheels. Stepping up to the V60 T6 nets buyers an additional 66 horsepower thanks to a twincharged — supercharged and turbocharged — 2.0-liter and all-wheel drive. A T8 model that uses a 390-horsepower plug-in hybrid powertrain will be available soon. All V60s use an eight-speed automatic. The Audi, BMW and Buick are all powered by 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-fours. Additionally, the 3 Series has a 2.0-liter turbo diesel. All three wagons have standard all-wheel drive. The BMW and Buick use an eight-speed automatic, while the Audi sends power through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. As base engines go, there's a four-horsepower difference between the most and least powerful models, though the Buick wins out on torque. The V60 T6 matches the Regal TourX's torque figure and trounces every competitor's horsepower rating. The V60 T8 packs more power and torque than any of the competition. Cargo and interior space The outgoing V60 was on the small side for a wagon. This new model rectifies that a bit, though its 48.2 cubic-feet of cargo space with the second-row folded is still substantially smaller than the competition.

Audi + Airbnb: What it's like to live in a car commercial

Miles from civilization, in a lonely stretch of Death Valley, lies an unlikely sight: a sleek contemporary home – all glass, concrete, and metal – and a pair of equally modern 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus coupes. You might have seen the combo in a TV commercial that ran during the Emmys, a spot that had us asking an obvious question: What are these objects doing together, smack in the middle of nowhere? Audi partnered with Airbnb to offer the home and the cars to seven guests. Somehow, we became lucky number eight. The spot, entitled "Desolation," promotes the carmaker's flagship alongside what ended up being an extreme rental property. The idea to build the three-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot house came from Italian writer and author Fabrizio Rondolino, who was long smitten with American desert. The home was built in 2010 using prefabricated construction by San Francisco-based architecture firm nottoscale. It's a spare elevated structure, with floor-to-ceiling windows cinematically framing the sky. To set the four-wheeled mood, images of the R8 sit where family photos would go, and a laser-cut aluminum sign over the entrance announces it as the "Home of the R8." In acknowledgement of the remoteness, a satellite phone sits charged up with clearly printed dialing instructions. An Easter egg from the ad – two jars of Leadfoot Coffee – hides in plain sight on the kitchen counter. You can rent houses like this elsewhere on Airbnb, but here's where gearheads start paying attention: The two Audi supercars counter the architectural tranquility with a combined 1,220 horsepower and an opportunity to rip through the desert at obscene speeds (not to mention several other extras you don't get with a standard vacation rental; more on that later). Seven three-day/two-night stays were offered through an extremely limited Airbnb listing. The buzz surrounding the campaign was so strong that the place booked up in less than six seconds. For what you get, this was a steal. The per-night price of $610 – a reference to the V10's horsepower figure – wouldn't begin to cover the behind-the-scenes logistics needed to coordinate and execute this marketing exercise. I was the sole member of the media invited to experience the Audi Airbnb and got to spend a weekend in this desert playground to see what it was all about. My weekend began when an Audi rep met me and my family at Las Vegas International Airport following a quick flight from Burbank, California.

2016 Audi S8 Plus burns the 'bahn faster

At no point during my drive of the Audi S8 last year did I think, "You know, this car could really use more power." With 520 horses on tap from a twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V8, the S8 is a damn good luxury/sport sedan. But I'm certainly not going to complain about a big ol' power boost, and that's just what we have here with the new Audi S8 Plus. It's got the same engine underhood, but power is boosted from 520 hp and 481 pound-feet of torque to a healthy 605 hp and 516 lb-ft. There's even an overboost function that increases torque output to 553 lb-ft for short bursts. That means the big S8 will run to 60 miles per hour in just over three and a half seconds. Hot damn. All that thrust doesn't come cheap, though; the S8 Plus costs $115,825. Of course, that's cheaper than the Mercedes-AMG S63 sedan, but the Merc is a decidedly more luxurious car. Still, a 605-hp S8 sounds mighty fine to me. Of course, a 520-hp S8 was already perfectly fine to begin with.