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newVideoPlayer("Hybrid-technologies.flv", 463, 387,""); Hardigree and I drove our respective red supercars are roughly the same time yesterday. While he went for the flashy Audi R8 V12 LeMans TDI Prototype and was escorted through traffic like a Russian Oil Baron by a phalanx of Audi Q7s, I hopped into the Hybrid Technologies Lithium Powered Super Car with the guy who built it. There was no top, so I enjoyed the welcome good weather--at last!--in NYC. OK, maybe the name needs a little work, but the car itself was a hoot to drive. galleryPost('redelectriccar', 9, 'Hybrid Technologies Lithium Powered Super Car'); "Yeah, go slow over this cable tray cause the nose is so low, but in the tunnel why don't you punch it and see what it can do"--those were the orders of the cars' keeper gave. Though styling is not necessarily the car's strong point, its simplicity and performance are respectable. The car starts with a tubular space frame...
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Our auto show coverage slogan is "always say yes." This time we said yes to a first drive of the Audi V12 TDI Le Mans concept car, which looks ravishing in the same brilliant red paint scheme it wore to Geneva. But who really cares about paint? We were looking forward to stretching this one-of-a-kind vehicle to the limits. And by stretching it out we mean doing our best not to destroying this invaluable prototype by propelling it into a pot hole. galleryPost('audiR8mattdrive', 6, 'In A New York Minute'); galleryPost('11avenuetdi', 3, 'Audi Prototype Le Mans Details'); To make sure we didn't kill ourselves or, more importantly, the car, Audi provided three black Q7's driven by ex-cops for escort. I suddenly knew what it was like to be a Russian oligarch. Audi's best prototype protection feature is Uwe Haller, the car's affable project manager and my navigator. The car is his baby and he managed to point out every manhole cover on...
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Why you should buy this car: Buy this car if you want a large luxury sedan with impeccable fit and finish, cool toys and one of the smoothest powertrains you'll ever have the pleasure of piloting. When you order one, be very careful picking your color and wheels. There's a tan A6 with the base model wheels around where I live and it looks terrible. It was hard to believe we were driving the same car at first. The phantom black pearl effect paint job is the cream of the crop. Silver and Night Blue Pearl effect work pretty well too. For wheels, make sure you cough up another grand or so for the optional 18, or 19, inchers. Why you shouldn't buy this car: If you want a big, luxury sedan that can do 155 MPH or more, this is not the car for you. If you want a car that looks like its going 155 MPH while sitting still, this is not the car for you. Buyers looking for those things would be settling for the V6 model. Don't settle. Just sell a few more shares of your Apple stock and...
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Exterior Design: *** It works and it doesn't. While this luxury sedan has nice, though moderately conservative, styling on the front and rear end, the A6's profile is something Ingolstadt must fix. It is this car's Achilles heel. Interior Design: **** The spot you conduct your asphalt assault from is a really nice place to be. The leather interior in the amaretto-and-black color scheme is highly recommended. The seats have several power adjustments, and six levels of heating help you settle in for your drive. When the sun sets, the interior starts to feel a little like an ultra lounge. The controls glow red while white accent lighting comes on under the seats and on the door panels. The overall fit and finish is of a quality most other OEM's should strive to match. galleryPost('Doane2007AudiA6Int', 3, '2007 Audi A6 Interior'); Acceleration: *** In Part One, I said the power from the 3.2L V6 felt faster than its 255HP rating. While that still holds true, the...
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Within the first five minutes of my week-long test-drive of the 3.2-liter 2007 Audi A6, I was pretty sure a speeding ticket was on the way. Turns out I was almost right. Tearing down a road at a rate somewhat above the posted limit, I came around a bend to see a sheriff approaching me in the other lane. I knew I was screwed. But rather than pulling me over, he just motioned out his window for me to slow down. If you're reading this Mr. Understanding Sheriff Guy, remind me to buy you a beer. galleryPost('AudiA6Exterior', 3, '2007 Audi A6'); The A6 I drove had the 255HP, 3.2-liter V6. Sure, it's the low-end engine, but don't be fooled. It certainly feels like more. Hitting red lights became one of my favorite things to do. It meant I got to blow everyone off the line, repeatedly. It also meant I got to hear the sweet reverberations of the engine as slipped through the gearshifts, repeatedly. Mmm-mmm good. The power generated by this little V6 can be a little deceiving...
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newVideoPlayer("DieselHyperMPG.flv", 475, 295,""); We'll admit it, we've been teases this week. Two forbidden diesels and nary a whisper of fuel economy. Well, today you get the goods. We aren't going to give you the standard "this is what we got in the city and this is what we got on the highway" spiel, beccause you can find that anywhere. Officially, the Civic does about 41/56, Q7 does 19/21. Booorrr-ing. What we're going to do is hypermile these cars. Although, much like Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men , we're not sure you can handle the truth. To be perfectly honest, we were shocked ourselves. Shocked and giddy, like a bunch of little girls splashing around in a pool of glistening diesel. Before you click through and watch the video, we need to lay down some facts. What we did can be repeated by anyone. There were no tricks, no cheats. Hell, we didn't even make that much of an effort. The footage you're about to enjoy isn't...
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326 horsepower, 550 lb.ft. or torque, 0-62 mph in 6.4 seconds, top speed of 146 mph, acres of leather, panoramic sunroof, auto-manual six speed, multi-setting air suspension, power everything, parking assist... the Audi Q7 4.2 TDI practically bribes its occupants into loving it. It's hard to provide an objective review of a car which seems to do everything better than any other car in its class. Spending time with the Q7 oil burner, you get the distinct feeling we are getting the shaft with the gasoline versions. galleryPost('doanedieselaudiq7', 6, 'Audi Q7 4.2 TDI'); galleryPost('doanedieselaudiq7intdetail', 6, 'Audi Q7 4.2 TDI Interior and Detail'); Power. Absolute and unadulterated power. It extends into every facet of the vehicle; every button, every bolt, every joint and stitch. That sums up the character and content of the Audi Q7 4.2 TDI. It's almost like a throne from which one can exact his will upon the unknowing driving populace. The SUV...
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In the wake of the diesel tide that was the Detroit Auto Show, we decided to hoodwink talk our friends at Honeywell into providing us with some of the most forbidden fruits of the Euro-spec diesel world. As a result we've been living and commuting with the not-for-the-USA 2007 Honda Civic i-CTDi and the 2007 Audi Q7 4.2 TDI for the last week. Over the next three days we'll be laying out our reviews of these cars and of how they fit the driving habits of the average American consumer. We'll be reviewing them separately today and tomorrow, with something special planned for Friday so sit back and enjoy the oil burning ride.
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Here comes the long-awaited Part 3 of the R8 review. Remember that cool Audi-branded USB flash drive that Audi gave me back in Part 2 ? I just took a look at the Expensively Produced Photos on it, and some of them are so pretty that I figured I should share them in gallery form. Now, on with our traditional Part 3 wrapup- to nobody's surprise, this car is not suitable for treehuggers! Why you should buy this car: You want to turn a large amount of money into a definitive statement on your sense of style and respect for top-shelf engineering. Oh, and you want to drive really, really fast. Why you should not buy this car: The R8 is neither insane nor flashy enough to satisfy your Inner Hoon. galleryPost('2008R8Part3Top', 6, '2008 Audi R8 - Part 3'); Suitability Parameters: Speed Merchants: Yes Fashion Victims: No Treehuggers: No Mack Daddies: No Tuner Crowd: No Hairdressers: No Penny Pinchers: No Euro Snobs: Yes Working Stiffs: No Technogeeks: Yes Poseurs: Yes Soccer Moms...
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Here it is, folks, the long-awaited sequel to Audi R8, Part 1 ! Some rumors have been making the rounds among our more conspiratorially-minded readers that the long delay was due to my imprisonment at an Audi-run rendition facility at an unnamed Eastern European location, on the orders of Audi brass enraged by my mentioning a '92 Honda Civic in the same breath as their übercar. Not true! The reality is less exciting (and more lame) than that: I just haven't had time to finish the damn thing. OK? Right, now let's head over to Infineon Raceway ! See, Audi has this swank setup at The Racetrack Formerly Known As Sears Point; it's all part of their Audi Driving Experience program, in which Audi owners get to hoon it up on the track under the supervision of pro drivers. As a certified Doctor of Automotive Journalism, I was permitted entrance to the sacred confines of Audi Driving Experience HQ... ...where they have this eat-off-the-floor-clean garage full of European-spec Audi...
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Yes, folks, you read that right: Audi, well, they got a little funny in the head, and they went and handed me the keys to a shiny new R8. I, the least likely Jalop to ever buy any sort of new car- or, in fact, any used car new enough that I can't find plenty of parts for it in my local self-service junkyard- shall be reviewing Audi's new supercar for you today! [ Maybe they mistook you for me . Wait, that's just me making myself feel better and trying not to believe Audi is reveling in my pain. -Ed. ] galleryPost('R8ReviewTop', 8, 'Audi R8 Gallery Part 1'); This story began when Audi decided to do an event for journalists in the Wine Country of Northern California, at which they'd show off their trio of hot V8 machines: the RS4, the S5, and the R8. Since I'm the only Jalop in the area- and since (as The Loverman so cruelly puts it) I don't know what it's like to drive a fast car not built in some bullet-riddled-appliance-filled back yard, using...
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