BMW M-Division Boss Contemplates M7

 

Rumour after rumour, thought after thought, the BMW M7 has never made it to even concept form .BMW’s M-Division boss Albert Biermann wants the M7 to be a part of the M Family which will end up being the firm’s flagship performance saloon.

However, even though many are lusting after the M7, a performance 7-Series from a BMW specialist (Alpina) is already on sale called the Alpina B7 which features a 533bhp twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

Biermann says “I would love to compete in this area of the market, the money is just there to pick up. An M7 would be a much different proposition to the B7.” He also said that the M7 was not the M-Division’s plan at present as they concentrate on other projects such as four-wheel-drive systems for the next M5 and M6 models and a M3 GT in 2016.

The X1, X3 and X4 won’t be receiving any M treatment either as it’s specifically for the X5 and X6 model, instead they’ll develop M Performance versions a bit like how Audi uses S for their Q3 and RS  for their A6.

Ride With The Stig

Experience a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series on Top Gear’s Test Track like never before. Oh and the driver? Some say he’s The Stig.

This isn’t a run-of-the-mill GoPro strapped to a £200,000 car, it’s a 360 degree camera somewhat similar to what Google uses for their Street View modes, only this is a video and you can zoom in/out and rotate the camera to an angle that suits you best.

It’s friggin’ awesome.

Video: Jingle Bells – Symphony Of Thunder

Christmas is just 2 weeks away and  we’re all getting into the festive spirits with our Santa hats and shopping sprees. In all the immense excitement, even cars are started to gear up for Christmas by singing a lovely Christmas carol for us, Jingle Bells… Using V8s, V10s and V12s.

Tesla To Fight Hatchback Market

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As a company, Tesla is beginning to evolve quicker than most people assumed. CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, has promised that there’s much more in the pipeline at Tesla. One of them, is an electric hatchback similar to fight the likes of the Nissan Leaf and maybe even hot-hatches seeing as a Tesla Model S can somehow obliterate an Aston Martin Rapide S in a straight line as seen below –

Tesla used to be a brand nobody knew about, but after the success of the Model S which sold more in its first year than the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, their sales are booming and they’re expanding to different countries including the UK.

The next step is to release an affordable hatchback called the ‘Model E’ which will be set for its debut at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Although it’s about a year away, Tesla needs to pull their socks up in order to meet their deadline.

They also recently introduced an SUV called the ‘Model X Crossover’ which people think will inspire the Model E’s design. Tesla say it will not as the Model E will carry a whole new design.

A Model S replacement is also in the works at Tesla.

2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Leaks

    Seems like Mercedes-Benz can’t keep their new C-Class under wraps as leaks just keep on appearing on the internet.

    Although there has been many leaks of the C-Class, this one seems the most significant as the pictures show its sibling DNA, especially from the S-Class.

    The car seems more sculpted and stylish now, the last-gen C-Class became a bit bland 6 years later but this really will spice things up a bit.

    The new C-Class is expected to be 100 kilograms lighter than the previous-gen. More aluminum body panels and a Modular RWD (MRA) architecture. With rivals such as the 3-Series boasting more leg room, the new C-Class’s wheel base will probably be stretched by about 8 cm.

    Engine choices are plentiful too including a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder turbo with 157 HP (115 kW), a larger 2.0-liter turbo with 186 HP (136 kW) and a 2.2-liter 4-cylinder diesel rated at 170 HP (125 kW). Expect a 5.5-liter Biturbo AMG variant of the C Class to take on the new recently revealed BMW M3 and M4.

    Expect the new C-Class to be revealed on Monday.

    Jaguar F-Type R Coupe Configurator

    With its reveal only days prior, Jaguar has already launched the configurator for the new F-Type R Coupe. We spec’d ours up to almost £110,000.

    Polaris White
    20″ Wheel – Storm – Black & Diamond Turned
    Performance Seats in Suedecloth with Suedecloth Interior Pack
    Suede Cloth Interior with Cirrus Contrast Stitching
    Centre Console – Dark Technical Weave Aluminum with “R” Graphic
    Jet Morzine Header and Headlining

    £107,531.36*
    £22,531.36

    Porsche 911 Targa (991) Sketches Leak

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    HISTORY

    In 1967, Porsche introduced a convertible variant of the 911. However, they feared the NHTSA would ban convertibles in a place where demand was high, the US. The clever chums at Porsche took it seriously which resulted in the engineers having to think of a new way to go about things. Porsche engineers decided to create a roof which offered a removable center and rear window but retained the steel cover over a roll bar in the center. This idea would soon to be called the 911 ‘Targa’.

    Porsche has decided to give the 991 Porsche Targa a greenlight for 2014, but this time, it won’t be dropped at last minute as Porsche has promised to its purists that it’s coming back, for good. The Targa top will be somewhat reminiscent of the 67′ Targa, this will include a brushed aluminium finish for the roll bar and black fabric-covered removable panels.

    PERFORMANCE

    The 991 Porsche 911 Targa will be offered with a 3.4-liter flat-six engine which produces 350hp and a 3.8-liter flat-6 which produces about 400hp in the 4S variant of the Targa, somewhat similar to the 991 Carrera 4 and 4S powertrains. These engines will be bolted directly to a 7-speed PDK transmission which will drive all four wheels.

    TARGA 4

    2014 release

    3.4-liter flat-six engine

    390 Nm, 350 hp

    283 km/h (175 mph)

    0-62 4.7 sec

    7-speed double clutch transmission (Porsche Doppelkupplung - PDK)


    TARGA 4S


    2014 release

    3.8-liter flat-six engine

    440 Nm, 400 hp

    297 km/h (184 mph)

    0-62 4.3 sec

    7-speed double clutch transmission (Porsche Doppelkupplung - PDK)

    TECHNOLOGY

    Obviously, in this day and age, which human in this world has the time to pull over, remove the panels and stow them somewhere, hmm? Well, Porsche are definitely aware of that as the technical patents reveal that the Targa will electronically operate at a touch of a button, a bit like a conventional cabriolet.

    It appears that the rear upper panel and the windshield will move upwards and backwards while the center of the rollover bar lifts vertically out of the way. The rest will be levered backwards and contained in a space under the windshield.

    RELEASE INFO

    The 991 Porsche 911 Targa is expected to debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. Prices are unconfirmed as of now, but expected to be around the £85,000 mark.

    BMW M3 & M4: Meet The Legends

    The long awaited BMW M3 and M4 have now been revealed in their production form. Do they still carry the spark that M cars have portrayed in the past few years? Well, let’s find out shall we.

    • It’s stupendously fast

    • Looks the part

    • Improvement to predecessor

    • Ready to eat up rivals

    PERFORMANCE

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    First thing that springs to mind when you think of M Cars is Performance. So how do these ‘new kids on the block’ stack up?

    The all-new 2014 BMW M3 and M4 is lighter, feistier and aggressive  in the way it delivers its power. The M3 features a 3.0-liter twin turbo inline-six which produces a maximum output of 425-hp  and 550Nm of torque to haul this mega power. Combine 425hp with 80kg less weight (thanks to some lightweight materials such as carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic) and a dual clutch gearbox, this will allow you to hit 60mph in 4.1 seconds. Astonishingly fast? We think so.

    Compared to the old 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8, the new 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six consumes 25 perfect less fuel and 25 percent less emissions than its predecessor (E92).

    If you opt for the dual-clutch gearbox in the M3/M4, you’ll also get a Launch Control feature integrated in to the gearbox and… Wait for it… ‘Smoky Burnout’ mode. Yes, before you think dafuq, this is a system which will allow you to have the most perfect burnouts every time.

    It’s funny actually, people nowadays complain about gimmicky-electronically-controlled-nannies but in reality, all they’re trying to do is help you. Smoky Burnout mode is for the veteran clutch fryers out there.

    2014 release

    3.0-liter twin-turbocharged I6

    550Nm, 431hp

    limited 155mph (250kmh)

    0-62 4.1 sec

    7-speed dual-clutch transmission

    EXTERIOR

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    BMW has ensured to accentuate the new M3 and M4 from their rivals from Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The M3 and M4 are hugely more aggressive than their rivals (although much can’t be said for the next-gen C63 AMG). The M3 and M4 both display a muscular and low stance on the road. The new models have really got their mojo back. The E92 was a bit soft, a bit hard to tell apart from a regular M Sport 3-Series to the untrained eye but these two, woah.

    We can talk about its swooping lines, low splitter, spoiler, blah, but we’d rather just let you drool over them because BMW has finally hit the sweet-spot of many automotive enthusiasts around the world.

    INTERIOR

      The cabins of these two ‘monsters’, are very driver focused. The interior features sexy carbon-fibre trim and an abundance of ‘M’ badges which hints out to what you’re driving. The seats look incredibly sporty, the sporty sort that can hug you in corner after corner of hard cornering. This is what the old (E92) M3’s interior should’ve been.

      WILL IT BE A PROPER M CAR?

        Well why not? It features all the right ingredients of M Cars over the past few years; the M4 and M3 are a step forward into the evolution of BMW M. If this is how BMW’s M-Division will be evolving over the next few years, then we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us in the pipeline.

        Range Rover Hybrid Review – Cruiser or Bruiser?

        Aahh, the Range Rover, a rugged and capable automobile that has the ability to take on the toughest of mountains… Or is it?

        It seems Range Rover has a new priority in mind, which is not to climb the tallest mountain in the world (although it jolly-well can), but to take the luxury car segment by storm.

        The new 2013 Range Rover is up competing with the likes of the Bentley Flying Spur, Mercedes-Benz S Class and even the Rolls-Royce Ghost. It seems then, Range Rover have played their cards right.

        We had the opportunity to test the Range Rover in its all-new Hybrid variant.

        PERFORMANCE

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        When someone mentions the word ‘Hybrid’, you never associate it with ‘Performance’ unless it’s an inter-galactic super-sonic missile like the McLaren P1 or the Porsche 918.

        However, although the Range Rover is a big ol’ beast, it still packs a lovely torquey punch from its 3.0L SDV6 Diesel engine.

        Combined, the Range Rover Hybrid produces a peak output of around 340hp and a torque figure of 700Nm allowing it to accelerate from 0-60 in just 6.5 seconds. That’s pretty impressive considering it’s 2394kg kerb weight.

        On the note of weight, the entire hybrid system including the batteries adds less than 120kg to the cars’ weight. That is all irrelevant until you hear it only weighs 22kg more than the Range Rover Sport Hybrid.

        The bottom line is, this car wasn’t made to do 0-60mph in 0.1 seconds, but engineered for inter-continent commutes. We think it’s the ultimate cruising machine.

        ECONOMY

        Now we’re in the Range Rover Hybrid’s comfort zone.

        The Range Rover Hybrid produces a combined figure of 44.1mpg and emits just 169g/km of CO2. Again, that’s all irrelevant till you start factoring the fact that the base engine (TDV6) produces a combined figure of 37.7mpg and emits 196g/km of CO2.

        The car also comes with a button called ‘EV’ . This is where the magic begins as explained by our friends at speedmonkey.co.uk-

        EV mode allows the RR Hybrid to be driven up to 30mph for about a mile on the electric 35kW battery, perfect for creeping up your driveway at 3am.

        INTERIOR

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        The Range Rover has been labeled a luxury vehicle over the years, but this time, that understates this cars’ outright opulence.

        There is lovely leather absolutely everywhere, on the dash, seats, center console, steering, door panels and even down below the seats. It’s not just any leather you find in Mercedes’ or BMW’s, this is sumptuously soft leather which oozes luxury.

        The seats are supportive, the steering is lovely to hold and the center console is full of rich veneer.

        You could spend hours in the Range Rover and never get tired or bored.

        EXTERIOR

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        The exterior is typical Range Rover, mahusive where it matters yet retaining elegance and finesse in its design.

        JLR has done a fantastic job on making the new Range Rover look modern and elegant as it had some big boots to fill with the old Rangie’.

        VERDICT

        It really does succeed on being a successful Range Rover, it’s great off road, yet great on road. It’s definitely one of our all time SUV favourites.