The Redline

Tag: #zerogeewhiz

  • Ferrari 488’s Fate Is Sealed – Welcome to the F8 Tributo

    The 488 is dead – long live the Ferrari F8 Tributo.

    Well, that’s a bit dramatic, but there you are. The time has come for Maranello to replace the wonderful 488 with the next-generation of mid-engined V8 supercar. The F8 Tributo (what do we think of the name?) will take Ferrari into the 2020s and is based on the hardcore 488 Pista.

    The most obvious change is the inclusion of the Pista’s S-Duct at the front. Providing a crap ton (okay, fifteen percent) more downforce, the S-Duct adds further aero capability to an already extraordinary platform. The radiators are also F1-style, angled rearwards to reduce frontal area and the dynamic air intakes have moved to the outside of the spoiler. New brake cooling ducts up the front were made possible by the slimmer headlights.

    Ferrari F8 Tributo
    New brake ducts, headlights and the Pista’s S-Duct (smaller, though)

    Along with the increase in downforce, Ferrari also claimed that aero efficiency is up by ten percent, which means less drag. The chassis is 40kg lighter, too (dry weight).

    The 3.9-litre V8 returns, with a power bump to 530kW (720PS). That’s, uh, an enormous amount of power. As ever, the variable torque management is along for the ride to ensure minimal turbo lag. Torque is up 10Nm to 770Nm, but don’t worry, it’s already way more than you could ever need.

    The manettino wheel on the now-smaller steering wheel features a new system called Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer (FDE+), which is part of Race mode.

    [FDE+ is] designed to make performance on the limit easier to reach and control for an even greater number of drivers.F8 press release

    It still has horrible doorhandles

    Look and Feel

    The F8’s design is once again out of Ferrari Centro Stile. The designers added louvred Lexan engine cover as a tribute to the classic F40, hence the name (I guess?). The louvres are more than an homage, however. The hot air flows out of the engine bay without ruining the airflow over the blown spoiler.

    Ferrari says inspiration for the rear end came from the 1975 308 GTB. The new spoiler design allowed for a return to the twin taillight arrangement so beloved of supercar makers.

    Ferrari F8 Tributo Interior

    The cabin is basically all-new. Like the Portofino, a central media screen allows the passenger to run the stereo which was a bit of a drama in the 458 and 488. It’s not the luxurious 10-inch screen from its V8-powered sibling, but 7.0inches is fine in such a tight space. All the interior panels are new as are the air vents. It doesn’t look strikingly different, but you know, if it wasn’t broken…

    Thankfully the wonderful instrument cluster looks pretty much the same, with that massive yellow rev-counter with a digital readout for the speed and gear selection.

    How much and when?

    Lots and soon. The F8 will be properly shown off next week at the Geneva Motor Show.

  • Ford Focus ST is Go: 200+ kW, clever slippy diff

    The Ford Focus ST was one of the unruliest cars I’ve ever driven. It was all over the shop, but in a good way. I was convinced that the engine was a hologram and that under the bonnet was a bunch of toddlers fuelled up on Red Bull. You felt alive in this thing. Torque steer, a rush of power and very sharp steering. Delicious.

    It kind of got forgotten, though. It didn’t have the character of the five-cylinder machine that preceded it and there’s been a wash of C-segment hot hatches in the last five years. The ST looked on forlornly while Hyundai, VW, Renault and Honda stole the headlines. To add insult to injury, the Focus RS elbowed it out of the way.

    With the new Focus well and truly launched, the ST-Line was the one for enthusiasts. But, as sure as crashing follows Pastor Maldonado leaving the pits, the full-fat ST is here.

    You’ll be parking your butt in a sweet set of Recaros and the new interior is streets ahead of the old one. You get Ford’s SYNC3 software with CarPlay and Android Auto,  digital instrumentation for Sport and Track modes and more room than the old car.

    Your mates will know you’ve got an ST by the front and rear bumpers, honeycomb grille, ST badging and

    Driveline

    The new 2.3-litre EcoBoost (ha!) produces 206kW (280PS) and 420Nm (available from 3000-4000rpm). That’s a lot of power for a front-wheel drive, but as Honda, Hyundai and others have proved, that’s perfectly fine. If you do it right…

    And doing it right means fitting a limited slip diff. Ford’s answer is to pack what they call an eLSD into the transmission. Using a hydraulic clutch pack, it can apportion power up to 100 percent to each wheel to quell oversteer.

    The electric power steering also has some software updates to help dampen torque steer. It will be interesting to see how successful that is and whether it reduces the fun of the old car. You really had to fight that bad boy.

    A Performance Pack offers a few more goodies, including Track mode, rev-matching on the manual,

    Those figures compare rather well with the old car, with a rise of 22kW (30PS) and a very healthy 60Nm increase in torque. Ford “anticipates” the new ST will clobber the 0-100km/h (0-62mph) sprint in “less than six seconds.” That’s right there with its obvious rivals.

    All that power comes courtesy with help from what Ford claims are “learnings” (ugh) from the Ford GT project and the Focus RS. Electronic wastegate control provides fine-tuning of the turbo boost while the twin-scroll turbo does a better job of exhaust gas scavenging. The anti-lag system from the GT and F-150 Raptor activates in Sport and Track mode and keeps fuelling the engine to keep the turbo spinning when you lift off.

    For the first time, the petrol ST will be available in both six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic.  The press release bangs on about adaptive shift scheduling and gear differentiation but there isn’t anything extraordinary to report.

    Diesel ST Returns

    Some markets also score a diesel ST, with a 2.0-litre ‘EcoBlue’ four-cylinder turbo-diesel good for 140kW (190PS) and 400Nm from 2000 to 300rpm. Happily, you’ve got 350Nm from 1500rpm. You miss out on the auto option though, and instead of the clever LSD of the petrol.

    Chassis

    The new Focus ST starts with a lighter base platform, which is always good news. The ST-Line I drove last year was a good giggle, so that bodes well for the go-faster car.

    Adaptive damping changes with every mode so it’s a bit more liveable day to day while a bit harder on the fun bits. Suspension is independent all-round, with the ST-Line’s multi-link rear-end along for the ride.

    Ford’s engineers have put further work into the front geometry to help tame the power and perhaps eke a bit more life out of the standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. There’s also some stuff about unique steering knuckle geometry, but they said that about the last one and it still wanted to tear your arms off.

    The new front brakes are bigger at 330mm up front and 302mm at the back. Ford reckons the stoppers resist fade four times better than the ST. From memory (dim, dark memory) the brakes were a little prone to cooking.

    Drive select is along, of course, and tightens everything up. Or, in the case of the stability and traction system, relaxes things. The optional Performance Pack throws in Race mode which makes things nice and loose for the track. Obviously.

    When and How Much?

    Ah, yes. European customers can have their ST fix in June 2019. Those of us in parts further-flung will have to wait until early 2020. Heck, we’re still waiting for the Fiesta ST! Pricing? Soon, precious, soon.

  • 2019 Jaguar F-Type Coupe 2.0 R Dynamic Review

    2019 Jaguar F-Type Coupe 2.0 R Dynamic Review

    Jaguar’s gorgeous F-Type convertible scores a lighter but very powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.

    Words: Peter Anderson
    Images: Rhys Vandersyde

    The Jaguar F-Type is a genuinely beautiful car. It’s much harder to do that these days, with lots of rules and regulations making life hard for designers. But Jaguars aren’t designed by people who throw their crayons in the air when things aren’t easy.

    It’s been around for ages, the F-Type, and is slowly evolving. Things change – the V6 manual I drove for Carsguide in 2016 is now the middle of the range. To chase more buyers, a lower entry price and emissions targets means less noise but a tremendous opportunity to slot in JLR’s own Ingenium turbo four-cylinder.

    Of course, I have questions. It’s lighter, sure, but the F-Type, based as it is on the old XK, is a tubby old bugger, so can four cylinders cut it?

    This car is also a coupe, which means no wind-in-the-hair silliness, so is there even a point?

    And here in the MY19 car, there is finally – finally – an update to the troublesome media system. The old one took so long to accept a command, you may as well have gone and reprogrammed the sat nav yourself.

    It doesn’t look any different from the MY18, at least not substantially. The cleaner headlights have been about for a while and look superb. You can tell it’s the 2.0-litre four from the back, with a less aggro rear bumper and big, single exhaust exit. I reckon the coupe looks terrific from the back and even better from the rear three-quarter.

    The cabin is also largely unchanged. The switchgear is pretty much the same and the proper shifter remains rather than Jaguar’s attractive-but-silly rotary dial. Try doing a quick three-point-turn in a rotary dial Jag.

    The R Dynamic brings a bit of extra visual oomph, including bigger 19-inch wheels. The 17s (?) on the base car are a bit…uh…not great. The carbon interior parts are actually alright – that sort of option doesn’t always hit the mark, but they look good.

    Drivetrain

    The Ingenium 2.0-litre turbo

    Jaguar-Land Rover’s own Ingenium is under the bonnet here. At first, that engine family was a pair of four-cylinders (petrol and diesel) and in various states of tune. They’re torquey monsters, even the 147kW single turbo entry level has 320Nm.

    The F-Type ships with the twin-turbo petrol four, delivering a whopping 221kW (300PS) at 5500rpm and a ripping 400Nm from 1200-4500rpm. That’s a lot of torque from a 2.0-litre petrol and bodes tremendously well for the forthcoming six-cylinder Ingenium F-Type.

    (I do wonder what a top-end Ingenium diesel would be like in the F…)

    A ZF eight-speed transmission sends the power to the rear wheels and, as always, it’s brilliant. The active sports exhaust doesn’t do anything for the power output,  but does add a bit of drama when you press the button. You also get three driving modes and if you’re not in Dynamic all the time, I don’t know why you’re even here.

    Jaguar reckons you’ll crack 100km/h (0-62mph) just in 5.7 seconds, which is not mucking around.

    Chassis

    This is the lightest F-Type. weighing in from 1525kg (more likely heading towards 1600kg), so it’s hardly super-light on its feet.

    The coupe is actually lighter than the convertible as Jaguar can ditch the roof-folding-and-stowage gear and put on a lightweight roof that doesn’t move. The F-Type SVR Coupe even has a carbon roof, but this one was was mostly glass. Great in Europe, terrible in Australia, so have a long hard think before you tick that box if the sun in your part of the world is trying to kill you. And glass weighs more.

    Bits of the underguts are also pretty old and heavy, most of which comes from the steel in its construction. The suspension is passive, which is perfectly fine in well-tuned lighter cars  – especially one with such a long wheelbase. The diff has torque vectoring via the brakes, which works quite well, too.

    Driving

    F-Types are glorious things. It wouldn’t matter if you dropped in a three-cylinder 1.0-litre, they’re just lovely to be in. A Jag on the driveway is one thing, but an F-Type makes you smile, no matter what. Even though I don’t own the thing, every time I looked out the front window, there it was. Passers-by were of the same opinion.

    You slide in to the driver’s seat and settle down nice and low. The central console is high, so your elbow rests on the centre console, but naturally. It’s a very comfortable car once you’re in, but shorter folks may not be so enamoured of the low position. The view down the long bonnet is superb.

    The 2.0-litre fires up with a promising bark and on the move, the steering feels different to the heavier-engined cars. That’s nice – I was worried Jaguar engineers might feel the need to add weight to make things feel F-Typey.

    It really does move around very nicely. Despite looking like the front has suspension travel of approximately one centimetre, the clever suspension packaging ensures it has rather more. It handles moving around the suburbs very nicely, with a plush ride. Beware the long nose and plastic aero bits that hang low on the front scrape on just about everything.

    The twin-turbo is a fine engine – it could do with a little less lag, but apart from that, it’s terrific. Getting the exhaust to bark the way it does must have taken a lot of work and it’s all part of the fun. The engine does kind of suit the coupe a bit more. While it’s not a shrinking violet, having the roof down won’t make a huge difference to the experience.

    As with the rest of the F-Type range, it’s great fun to push along. It’s a long car, but it feels so right to thread through the bends. Cars this size tend not to be especially agile, but the F-Type hides its weight. The light steering reminds you the nose is lighter, the coupe turning in smartly.

    Stand on the throttle out of a corner and you’ll even get a bit of a wiggle as that big slab of torque attacks the road. You won’t get lurid tail slides without a lot of space and probably a wet skid pan, but that’s dumb on public roads anyway, so it barely matters.

    What’s nice about the 2.0-litre is that it is a bit more of a precision tool and won’t cost the earth to run. It’s a bit less conspicuous but no less gorgeous than its higher-powered peers and if I hadn’t fallen so helplessly in love with the SVR, this would probably be my favourite F-Type.

    Like our Jaguar coverage? There’s more here

  • Audi R8 RWS Review: V10 Power, rear-wheel drive

    You know the R8. It’s the quiet sibling of the Lamborghini Huracan, a car we’ve featured three times now. The R8 has only had one story on these pages, but it’s probably the car I prefer over the shouty Lambo. Better interior, better seats, easier to live with but the same troppo 5.2-litre V10.

    As the R8’s second-generation roared towards its mid-life update, Audi did something a bit un-Audi. The company, having spent years and millions – perhaps billions – of Euros telling us how great Quattro all-wheel drive is, released the limited edition RWS – rear-wheel series.

    Of course, the Huracan Spyder I drove in 2017 was a rear-wheel driver, but that’s Lambo. Sant ‘Agata’s view of AWD is somewhat dictated by its sensible German masters, so it took the chance to drop the 580-2 (the Evo -2 cars are more powerful). We’d heard rumours of the Audi.

    Perhaps because of all that investment, the RWS was limited to 999 cars globally. That number feels like Audi fully intended to produce more based on demand. That’s a suspicion, by the way – I have absolutely no knowledge, facts or evidence to back that up.

    The RWS doesn’t look any different. You have to have a very good look at it to tell it’s rear-wheel drive. Same front and rear bumpers, same V10 badge, same same same. Look a little closer and you’ll see steel brakes (like the R8 Spyder I drove and the standard R8 Coupe).

    I wasn’t sure about this white one but boy, did it grown on me. I even grew very fond of the optional red graphic.

    The one thing that you can pick about the RWS is the body-coloured blade on the air intakes behind the doors. Yeah, I reckon that’s dumb too.

    The cabin is a little pared back from the Quattro coupe, at least in Australian specification. The seats don’t look like much, but do just as good a job as they need. The dash is all pretty much the same apart from the 1 of 999 badge (cheeky sods) and really, there’s nothing missing. It’s a huge improvement over the Huracan’s silly interior, which feels plasticky and old (and hopefully fixed in the Evo).

    I just wish the R8 had better shift paddles. They’re cheap, plastic and nasty and have none of the tactility of the Huracan’s alloy or carbon paddles.

    R8 RWS Drivetrain

    There’s little new here, but it’s such a good engine, I’m going to re-cap for you. The glorious 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 produces 397kW and 540Nm. The power peaks at 7800rpm while maximum torque arrives a little earlier at 6500rpm.

    The seven-speed twin-clutch sends power to the rear-wheels. And that’s it. No all-wheel drive trickery. Easy.

    Chassis

    There’s little change here, too. The brakes are drilled steel units, with those hilarious wavy discs up front and six-pot calipers holding on for dear life. Down the back you’ve got four-potters. You can’t get carbon-ceramics so don’t bother asking. And, just quietly, you don’t need them.

    Without the quattro drivetrain, the R8 RWS weighs around 50kg less than its AWD counterparts.

    The car rolls on 19-inch forged alloys, painted black and completely allergic to kerbs, so stay away.

    As with the similarly-powered Coupe, there are the normal Drive Select Audi modes, the RWS goes without the extra three modes of the Plus. But it does keep the Big Red Button to fire it up.

    It also goes without adaptive damping, and that’s just fine by me. It’s completely liveable every damn day.

    Driving

    My giddy aunt. What an amazing thing is that V10. Every time I get behind the wheel of a car with this engine, my heart skips a beat. It’s just wonderful. Every time I floor the throttle and hear the way the engine note soars, that wonderful harmonic from 3500rpm to the hard-edged shriek at the redline, my hairs all stand on end. Not even Ferrari’s V12 does that to me.

    The glorious crackle and snarl on the overrun, the business-like bark on the downshift. Few engines can hope to match, let alone exceed, the V10’s character. For that alone, any R8 is worth it.

    The R8 RWS has something else going for it, too. It’s the cheapest R8 you can buy. Here in Australia, it came in under A$300,000, cheaper than the completely bonkers Jaguar F-Type SVR. Audi doesn’t really do bonkers, but my goodness, it does serious just as well.

    I didn’t really know what to expect from a rear-wheel drive, V10 powered carbon and aluminium coupe. I’ve driven a heap of R8s and a heap of Huracans and owned BMW’s E60 M5, a 5.0-litre V10 sports sedan from the heady mid-2000s, before the GFC and completely understandable emissions rules spoiled the party.

    You can feel there’s less weight over the front axle. The R8 turns in just that little bit more sharply, it’s more interested in finding that extra half-inch or so of kerb. Audi Sport had to tinker with everything to make this car happen and you can tell. The traction and stability systems understand you want to go sideways, but not too much. You could complain it’s a little on the conservative side in the dry but it’s absolutely bang on in the wet. Bang on is perhaps the wrong term – if you’re not an idiot, banging into things will not happen.

    As ever, it’s a fluid handler. Cornering is flat and composed, there’s a little pitch under hard acceleration but the corresponding dive is barely noticeable. It’s the same setup as the V10 Plus when you haven’t gone for the magnetic dampers.

    I like it’s slightly unplugged nature. It’s not old-school but the lack of steering corruption, the eradication of that tiny hesitation on turn-in. All R8s change direction like their existence depends on it – that’s the beauty of a mid-engined car – but the RWS just slices off that little hesitation. It’s almost intangible, but as I got to know it and checked my notes on the quattro, it became clear that the RWS is the car I prefer.

    And here’s the thing. While many of the cars on these pages I could never own or even want to own – the responsibility (and extraordinary privilege) of borrowing them weighs very heavily on my shoulders – the R8 RWS is a supercar I would own if ever the financial opportunity presented itself.

    It must be nigh-on perfect.

    Like our R8 coverage? There’s more here

    The Redline’s Audi playlist is here

    Words: Peter Anderson
    Co-pilot: Brendan Allen
    Images: Will Grilo

  • Super-fast BMW X3 M and X4 M Announced

    Well, it’s not like it wasn’t a bit obvious it would happen, but BMW has done full-fat M versions of the X3 and X4. Imaginatively, they’re called X3 M and X4.

    Like the X3 M40i and X4 M40i, it’s a twin-turbo six-cylinder version of each, but with just a scootch extra pep. Well, a lot extra. And to go with the pep, there’s a bunch of go-faster tech underneath to make sure you don’t come off the road.

    There’s even two versions of each – M has already slapped the Competition badge on the back of the pair, upping the power in the process. Well, the badge doesn’t up the power, that’s just a poor turn of phrase.

    X3 in white
    X4 in white

    You’ll be able to spot the two by a few key changes. The new front and rear bumpers are deeper and more aggressive, and the Competition’s blacked-out grille that suddenly make the mid-size SUV pair look like the X7. The X3, in particular, reminds me a lot of the outgoing X5 M, which is no bad thing.

    Inside are the usual M accoutrements, including upscale Vernasca leather, M steering wheel and M gear shifter. They roll on 20-inch alloys with a funky polished face that won’t like kerbs very much.

    The Competition versions come with blacked-out exterior bits (beyond the grille), 21-inch  black alloys and spoiler. Inside you get posher Merino leather, M seats and various M badges around the place. You also get LED headlights, ConnectedDrive, professional sat nav and the hi-fi speaker system.

    X3 M X4 M Drivetrain

    There’s a new beastie lurking under here. Based on the crackerjack B58 in the M140i, the S58 is still a 3.0-litre six but with twin-turbos. And, if you listen closely, you can hear the future – this engine will be in the forthcoming M3/M4 pair.

    The X3 and X4 M have 353 kW (480PS) and 600Nm while the Competition models benefit from a further 22kW for a maximum figure of 375kW (510PS). Torque is the same in the Competition. If you’re interested, 375kW is a remarkably similar power figure to the Mercedes-Benz GLC63S AMG, which is a rocket.

    [table id=28 /]

    Despite the same power figures as the GLC63, the torque deficiency means the Beemers can’t quite match the acceleration figures.

    The power gets to all four wheels with the aid of the usual brilliant eight-speed ZF automatic. The AWD system is M’s version of xDrive and the rear axle has an M Active differential, which usually means a lot of fun.

    Chassis

    M is getting pretty good at making big heavy SUVs (I refuse to call them SAVs) feel light on their feet.

    The three drive settings not only change the throttle and transmission responses but also the suspension. Up front is a double-joint spring strut arrangement with a five-link setup at the back. M adaptive dampers change along with the drive mode.

    As in other proper M cars, you can set up your own drive modes with the M1 and M2 buttons. The rear-biased all-wheel drive system has a choice of DSC settings ranging from normal to off.

    The press release didn’t say much about the brakes, but they’re bound to be bigger and stronger than the M40i models, which aren’t bad to start with.

    When?

    Soon. But most likely this year and priced somewhere between the Audi SQ5 and Merc’s GLC63.

  • Drive Against Depression Fundraiser

    This is a super-quick plug for an event I’m participating in at the end of February. I’m hoping to raise at least $1000 for the brilliant charity Drive Against Depression. Read the GoFundme link for the all the details and, of course, you can check out Drive Against Depression to make sure it’s legit.

    I’ll be driving in the Mt Baw Baw Sprint Tour section and you can come along too (check out the details here)

    I won’t be taking a single cent, it all goes to DAD – the fine people at Lexus are looking after my flights and accommodation at the event was organised by DAD. All I have to do is front up and drive the car.

    And just to remind you what I’ll be driving, here’s the review of the Lexus LC500.

  • Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder

    It wasn’t just that the year of our Lord 2018 was The Redline’s first full year that made it exciting. I got to drive a lot of spectacular machinery, a few of which you’re yet to see because it all got a bit much towards the end of the year.

    I loved the Huracan Performante – wild, but tameable, obnoxious to look at but devastatingly elegant on the road, it was a revelation. I’ve always loved the Huracan, but always felt a 488 would give it a right spanking. I haven’t driven a 488 Pista but wonder how it would – or could – better the Performante. That’s how good it is.

    Words: Peter Anderson
    Co-pilot: Brendan Allen
    Images: Matthew Hatton

    What’s different on the Huracan Performante Spyder?

    You can read about all the changes on the Performante here.

    Lamborghini is a bit cheeky on the website, saying the Performante Spyder weighs 35kg less than the standard Huracan Spyder. Colour me not very surprised. Obviously it weighs more than the Coupe, but that’s to be expected with all the heavy roof gear.

    Apart from that, it’s all basically the same as the hardtop.

    On this particular car, whoever ordered it made a very sensible decision – the car’s carbon shell seats that literally injured me and every person who sailed in them, were absent in place of some far more comfortable seats.

    And that makes sense in the Spyder. While all the go-faster technology is there, you’re not seriously considering taking it on a track. Are you? So yeah, the more comfortable seats are a welcome addition.

    Roof down, the car looks a bit off-balance with that massive rear wing. I guess the temptation to sort that out was tempered by the fact owners would complain it didn’t have the same gear as the Coupe.

    The Performante script on this one’s wing is an option and no, I’m not a fan. Also optional are the Performante interior package, bluetooth (aw, come on!), Apple CarPlay and sat-nav (in Australia, this costs A$5800…), lift system (absolutely mandatory, don’t get one without it), magneto-rheological suspension, 20-inch forged alloys and various bits and bobs.

    Huracan Performante Spyder Drivetrain

    (this is from the coupe – you can’t see the Spyder’s V10) – image from Rhys Vandersyde

    The gorgeous 5.2-litre V10 is here in all its glory. Delivering 470kW (640PS) and 600Nm, both are up a reasonable if not huge amount from the 610PS AWD coupe. The RWD Coupe and Spyder “make do” with 580PS. And, just so you know, the Huracan Evo has this same engine. I’m already quaking with excitement to drive that one.

    The same seven-speed twin-clutch transmission delivers power to all four wheels and the acceleration times are unchanged. Which suggests that the Coupe’s were either made up or conservative (I’ll go with the latter).

    Driving

    As you can see from the pictures, it was a bit damp on the day we had the Performante, so huge-speed heroics were not on the cards.

    And, in a way, I didn’t need to do that. The Coupe I drove earlier in 2018 was absolutely mind-blowing. And before that, the 580-2 Spyder, while less capable than the 610-4 Coupe, was far more engaging with that dramatic V10 sound and towering performance. I had a good idea of what the differences were going to be.

    Or did I?

    The Performante’s transformation to Spyder is quite different to the standard car’s. While all that power and performance is still there, with a near-imperceptible reduction in chassis rigidity. It’s so rigid it doesn’t matter, but it is different.

    With the roof down and those higher-set, more prominent exhausts (now taken up in the standard Huracan Evo), that extra level of engagement is definitely there.

    Where that ultimate 7:52 Ring time isn’t possible in this car – Trofeo tyres or not – you’ll have even more fun trying. That crackling exhaust sounds like nothing else on the road, the way the two banks of five harmonise with each other as the digital tachometer needle swings towards the 8500rpm cut-out, it’s truly breathtaking.

    Even though the new Huracan Evo has this same engine, it’s hard to believe it’s as ferocious as the Performante. Which probably makes it – Spyder or not – the high point of the Lamborghini range for some time to come.

  • BMW Z4 Pricing – Australia

    Ah, yes – the Supra landed last week, so it’s time for pricing for the sister car, the BMW Z4.

    Here in Australia, we’re getting three variants to start the ball rolling.

    [table id=26 /]

    As usual, BMW is not mucking about when it comes to sticker pricing, but a quick look at the spec sheets tells me they weren’t mucking about with equipment, either.

    BMW Z4 sDrive 20i

    Opening the range is the $84,900 20i. That comes with a 145kW (197PS)/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo four. BMW reckons that delivers a handy 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time of 6.6 seconds.

    The entry-level car starts you off with an M Sport package, 18-inch alloys, heated seats, aluminium trim (no wood! Brilliant!), dual-zone climate control, head-up display, decent 10-speaker stereo with wireless Apple CarPlay as standard (also brilliant), wireless charging pad, LED headlights and a no-cost option Chinese language display. And leather seats, natch.

    BMW Z4 sDrive 30i

    The 30i has the same 2.0-litre unit, but turned up to 190kW (258PS) and 400Nm. The sprint to the metric ton is dispatched in 5.4 seconds.

    Compared to the 20i package, BMW swaps the 18s for 19-inch alloys (with performance tyres, apparently), auto parking, Comfort Access Pacakge which means you can use your phone to start the car, M Sport brakes, M adaptive suspension and adaptive LED headlights.

    BMW Z4 M40i

    No BMW sports car range is complete without the excellent B58 3.0-litre straight-six with twin-scroll turbo. This one is good for 250kW (340PS) and 500Nm and a 0-100 time of 4.5 seconds.

    Topping the range means you pick up all the stuff of the lower models as well as an M Performance suspension tune, M Sport diff, ambient lighting package, better seats and a 12-speaker stereo.

    When, dammit?

    Australian buyers can get their mitts on a Z4 from April 2019. It’s entirely likely dealers will get their mitts on your cash from today if you ask nicely.

    What is everyone else paying?

    A quick trip around the internet yielded these prices. All of them are basic and don’t include the usual stuff which you’ll know about if you’re from those places.

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  • 2019 Porsche Cayenne

    Porsche’s saviour, the Cayenne, is now in its third generation. It’s the quintessential performance SUV, with the right badge and the right price for that badge.

    Times have changed. Where the Cayenne was easily king of kids a decade and a half ago, the rest of the Germans are absolutely on it. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes all have a dog in the fast SUV hunt with more on the way.

    The Brits have the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport and even the Americans have the completely batty Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The Italians are finally on stream, with Maserati and Alfa throwing twin-turbo V8 and V6s into this warzone.

    Porsche has to work for its premium SUV buck. What did Zuffenhausen have to do to keep the Cayenne where it is? Funnily enough, it doesn’t look like much, but like anything new from Porsche, there’s more than meets the eye.

    Look and feel

    Speaking of what meets the eye, the new Cayenne is, thankfully, sleeker. A lot of people I’ve spoken to have grizzled about the new rear end, but I liked the way it links to the rest of the Porsche range.

    It’s the most upright Porsche on the market, but gets away with it. My only complaint is that in this base machine, the skirts and bumpers aren’t really deep enough which reduces the car’s muscularity.

    The revised cabin is much better than any previous Cayenne I’ve driven. The last one I drove was a symphony of buttons. While well laid-out and reasonably attractive, it takes a long time to learn what they all do and it was irritating.

    This new car replaces many of the physical buttons – that didn’t need to be there – are gone, with black panels and soft buttons. When the car is off, it’s much cleaner and with the car on, it’s easier to learn and to my eyes, calmer. My wife disagreed, she reckons there are still too many buttons.

    The dash is cool – I wasn’t sure I’d like five separate nails, but they’re easy to use and really fill the space. That does mean the steering wheel is a bit of a whopper by modern standards.  The central media screen is a massive 12.3-inch screen and has a terrific-looking interface with sat nav and also has Apple CarPlay, which is nice.

    I didn’t like the wheel for reasons I can’t quite articulate, so I’m happy to leave it as the vibe, which is my problem.

    Nobody liked the weird starter tongue poking out of the dash. I really don’t get that thing.

    Given it’s a big SUV, it’s worth telling you that it’s roomy front and back and has a huge boot. And has cupholders and stuff.

    Drivetrain

    Yep, this isn’t the Cayenne Turbo and the badge in the photo is missing the word Turbo. Which is odd, because this Cayenne has two huffers attached to the , spinning up 250kW (340PS) and 450Nm, which is nothing to snort about.

    This engine is roughly the same as Audi’s S-model cars like the S4 – stepping up to the Cayenne S nets you the shorter-stroke 2.9 V6 of the Audi RS4/RS5 pair (as an example).

    Naturally, it’s all-wheel drive and has ZF’s usually outstanding eight-speed automatic. This is the Cayenne you want if you’re planning on spending time off-road.

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    • There is also a Hybrid Cayenne, but we skipped that.

    Chassis

    Like the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley’s Bentayga bruiser – as well as Audi’s rather more restrained Q7 – the Cayenne rides on the VW Group’s excellent MLB Evo platform.

    Despite a bit of extra length, Porsche says the new car is around 65kg lighter, although that might be cold comfort when the base car is still the wrong side of two tonnes.

    To help keep weight in check (!), the bonnet, tailgate, doors, roof and front wings are made of aluminium, which might explain a fair chunk of the 65kg saving.

    Helping keep it off the road is Porsche’s Active Suspension Management, which is a slight over-statement – they’re active dampers. You can also spec air suspension which comes at a hefty premium and, of course, adds weight.

    The Cayenne comes with Porsche’s Traction Management (PTM) system, which includes active AWD with electronically variable, map-controlled multi-plate clutch, automatic brake differential (ABD) and anti-slip regulation (ASR). That’s a lot of acronyms and nothing here is particularly amazing as far as the technology goes.

    The standard  19-inch wheel ship with 255/55 up front and 275/50s out back. Despite those high aspect ratios, they look ballooney. The car we had sported a tasty set of 21s with lower-profile tyres. I reckon that’s money well-spent, the car looks silly with the base wheels.

    Brakes are pretty decent, with four-pot calipers up front grabbing 350mm disks with two-pot units at the back on 330mm disks.

    Driving

    There’s not getting past that this is a Big Unit. Nearly five metres long and a pretty decent drop when you climb out of the car, the base Cayenne is clearly pitched at the badge-conscious, sporty SUV buyer.

    It’s fast, though – around six seconds to the ton is not mucking around, the terrific V6 happily chasing the redline with every flattened throttle. You can access the speed quickly, making it brilliant both out on the freeway and in town, making small gaps easy and overtaking drama-free.

    And despite being the base pack, it handles very nicely indeed. It can take a while to get comfortable throwing it around because the driving position is high and the dash design make the car feel super-wide. But the steering weight is just right as you dial up the intensity.

    For such a big heavy car, the Cayenne’s turn-in is sharp and relatively free of slack – few “entry-level” SUVs, even premium-brand ones will get near the Cayenne. Throw it down a winding road and the Macan-esque agility, super-strong V6 and adaptive damping will make it very hard to catch, let alone beat.

    Both co-pilot Brendan and I noticed the eight-speed ZF was very unhappy. On the downshift the car suffered from a serious jolt, completely out of character for a) the car and b) the transmission itself which is found in cars everywhere. A few phone calls later and I’m pretty confident that the problem was isolated to this car. So it can happen – if it does, your car is not right, so take it back to the dealer.

    The base model Cayenne is a good deal if you’re not after that ultimate on-road edge. It’s easy to live with every day, goes like a rat up a drainpipe and I reckon just now is starting to look good. The new interior is a cracker, too and, transmission glitch aside, is a bit of a crowd-pleaser.

    Here in Australia it’s more expensive than its obvious competition – that’s up to you – but for the first time I’ve felt that the bottom end of the range, even though it does cost more, is worth the Porsche tax.

  • 2019 Toyota Supra – the wait is over

    Ending the most irritating drip-feed since the BMW Z4, the 2019 Toyota Supra is finally, officially, really, truly public. With stuff shared with the Z4 and a striking new look, Toyota has a new halo car and the star of the Detroit Auto Show.

    The Toyota Supra is the stuff of legend, as these sorts of things often are. I even know of a person who used the last-gen Supra’s silhouette in the logo for an automotive site. It’s that kind of car.

    Toyota set about dismantling its sports car heritage in the late 90s, killing the Supra, hot Corollas and the Celica in the space of a few years. To be fair to the Japanese giant, these sorts of cars are hard to make money from.

    With the 86 and BRZ twins, Toyota hit upon a way that one could make money with the – share the costs. So somehow BMW and Toyota talked each other into a relationship spawning a new pair of rear-drive sportsters. And to preview it, the FT-HS concept previewed Toyota’s idea of a new fast car.

    I quite like the way it looks. Strong rear haunches to remind you it’s rear drive, a silhouette that nods to the last Supra and even headlights that echo rather than copy.

    The surfacing is muscular and while I can see some 86 in it, not everyone can.

    The interior is basically a BMW one, which means clean and functional. The digital dash looks more like a Toyotas, but there’s one photo. The press release makes a huge deal about the seats – they even get their own heading – and they do look good. They also look really close to the roof, so I wonder how much headroom there is in the Supra…

    Drivetrain

    Toyota has decided to lead with the BMW-sourced 3.0-litre turbo straight-six, an engine I like very much in the BMW M140i. In the Supra, it’s tuned for 250kW (340PS) and a nice round 500Nm.

    As with the Z4 – and unusually for a Toyota – the ZF eight-speed is along to push the power out back. Put it all together and the Supra will flash to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.3 seconds.

    No doubt as a result of this combination, there will be stop-start and other fuel-saving measures.

    As is now de rigeur, your Supra comes with selectable driving modes which change the behaviour of the transmission, exhaust and throttle. And of course, the chassis.

    Japanese buyers will also be able to buy two four-cylinder variants, but neither feature a manual. Which is interesting, given BMW’s adherence to self-shifting…

    The base SZ delivers 145kW (197PS) and 320Nm, shifting around 90kg less than the six and arriving at 100km/h in 6.3 seconds. Step up to the SZ-R and the same engine offers 190kW (258PS) and 400Nm. Around 70kg lighter than the turbo six, it will hit the benchmark in 5.2 seconds. I wonder if that car might be the sweet spot…

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    Chassis

    The 3.0-litre Supra RZ is bristling with fun tech. The active differential has a “golden” ratio of 1.55:1 when you compare the final drive ratio to the wheelbase, so I guess that means it should be perfectly balanced.

    Toyota says the Supra’s torsional rigidity is greater than the Lexus LFA’s (huge if true) and a lower centre of gravity than the nimble little minx that is the 86. Weight distribution is the real deal at a claimed 50:50,

    Front suspension is by MacPherson struts and the rear is a five-link system. Various parts of the suspension are weight-saving aluminium, too.

    How much and when?

    Yeah, the drip-feed isn’t quite over. We don’t really know at all what the car is going to cost, so we’ll let you know.

    But the most important thing is that it’s here, Toyota chief Akio Toyoda has lapped the ‘Ring in it and he reckons it’s ready.

    Toyota is now run by a car guy, so car people all over the world can rejoice that one of the world’s biggest carmakers is getting its act together.