World Car Blog

Monday, 17 January 2022 07:21

Fisker announced an electric supercar

Fisker posted a teaser image on Twitter announcing the new electric supercar.

In the message published together with the picture, Fisker states that the supercar will be in a segment that does not currently exist. Judging by the picture, the new supercar could be a convertible.

It is unknown at this time when the new Fisker will go on sale. Currently, this company has its hands full with its first model, the Ocean crossover, which should enter production later this year at the Magna Steyr factory in Austria.

Fisker, according to earlier announcements, is also developing a more affordable EV that should go into production around 2024 at a factory run by Foxconn.

Fisker has also already shown his lifestyle pick-up, and hinted at a crossover coupe and a super sedan.

Published in Blog/News

Friday, 14 January 2022 09:38

2022 Toyota RAV4

The Toyota RAV4 is a compact crossover SUV with great styling and equipment, while offering a gem of a plug-in hybrid called the Prime. For 2022 the interior and styling have been tweaked, namely with upholstery and headlight changes.

The base engine is a 203-hp inline-4, which does the job although it’s raucous when pressed hard. But it shifts smoothly, and the handling of the RAV4 isn’t boring.

Things get interesting with the 219-hp Hybrid, with its battery pack and electric motor; it sacrifices almost nothing to the driving experience. And things grow to be downright compelling with the 302-hp Prime, which uses a big battery pack to accelerate to 60 mph in less than six seconds, while still providing an all-electric range of 42 miles.

With the gas engine, the RAV4 gets 26 mpg city, 35 highway, 30 combined with front-wheel drive, or 25/33/28 mpg with all-wheel drive. The RAV4 Hybrid gets 41/38/40 mpg with standard all-wheel drive. The RAV4 Prime gets 94 MPGe, counting that 42 miles of electric driving, or 38 mpg combined.

The NHTSA gives the RAV4 five stars overall for safety, with four stars in the front-impact crash tests. The IIHS gives the RAV4 a Top Safety Pick award, but only for the Hybrid Limited and its special adaptive headlights. Most other models have LED headlights rated “Marginal” or even “Poor.” For 2022 the XLE and above get new headlights, which haven’t been rated yet.

Along with automatic emergency braking, all RAV4s come with adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitors are available.

Model Lineup

The RAV4 is made in Kentucky, except for the Prime, which is made in Japan. There are at least 16 different configurations, from the front-wheel-drive LE to the Prime XSE plug-in hybrid. Prices haven’t been published yet for 2021 but the LE should go for about $28,000, equipped with cloth upholstery, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto., 7-inch wheels, and a split-folding rear seat.

The RAV4 XLE comes with gas or hybrid drivetrains; the gas version is about $30,000 with all-wheel drive. It adds keyless start, a power driver seat, and access to more options such as a larger touchscreen and heated front seats. For 2022 it gets better headlights. Or choose the XLE Hybrid for about $31,000.

For 2022, the SE Hybrid comes with cloth upholstery and a 7.0-inch touchscreen and 6-speaker audio; options include heated front seats, a sunroof, power tailgate, and 9.0-inch touchscreen.

The RAV4 Prime is hard to find, and will probably be marked up over its MSRP of just below $40,000. It gets synthetic leather upholstery with red accents, a sport suspension, audio subwoofer, sunroof, and available 9.0-inch touchscreen.

The RAV4 warranty is mediocre, at 3 years/36,000 miles.

Exterior

The stylish RAV4 takes lots of angular chances, and they all work. It has an adventurous chunky body that’s ruggedly smooth, with squared-off wheel wells and a squat stance. The windows are slim and there are hints of 4Runner and Tacoma in its profile.

Some versions have a mesh grille and at least one has black fender trim and a black roof. The Prime gets its grille and gloss-black bumper, for a touch of visual distinction.

Interior

The cabin has an exciting sense of style that somehow comes through the simplicity of its design. It’s thoughtful and restrained, without being dull. The spare lines and basic controls are laid out around the touchscreen, with a horizontal line across the dash that gives it calmness brightened by metallic trim around the vents and the shift lever.

There are plenty of shelves and small bins for phones and water bottles. The interior could improve upon some of its harder plastics, but spendy versions wear synthetic leather with contrast-color stitching, as well as a big 9.0-inch touchscreen.

In front, the seat padding feels thin, and some head room is lost to the sleek roofline, although the driving position is nice.

In back, some shoulder space seems lost, and the middle passenger won’t like that, but there’s a decent 37 inches of leg room. There’s a lot of cargo space behind the seat, 37 cubic feet, which expands to 69 cubic feet when the seat is folded. The Prime loses about six cubic feet to its battery pack. The cargo floor sits at a good height for loading, and many models have or offer a power tailgate.

Driving Impressions

The base RAV4 has average acceleration and road manners. It putters around using its 203-hp 2.5-liter inline-4 teamed to an 8-speed automatic that sends power to the front or to all four wheels. It’s competent, if rough when pressed hard.

The all-wheel-drive system shifts power to the rear wheels when the fronts lose grip, as they all do. But the 16 versions include models called the Adventure, TRD Off-Road, and Limited, which also split power between the rear wheels for better-yet traction. Even on dry pavement, this system improves the grip and sharpness in cornering.

All RAV4s use a strut front and multi-link rear suspension that does a good job over frost heaves and sharp road edges. The RAV4 steering has a more engaging feel than rivals.

In the 219-hp AWD RAV4 Hybrid, the rear-mounted electric motor engages when the front wheels slip, giving the car something that Toyota calls “through-the-road” all-wheel drive. It’s still a system primed for all-weather traction, not hardcore adventuring. The Hybrid’s appeal lies in very efficient power delivery with sky-high gas mileage, and a very slight penalty in weight and ride quality.

But if it’s power you want, on top of gas mileage, then it’s the Prime for you—if you can find one. It gets a big 18.1-kwh battery pack with electric motors to generate 302 hp. After the Supra sports car, it’s the quickest Toyota made, with a 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds. It also has a taut sport suspension, confident handling, and that 42 miles of all-electric range. The battery pack adds about 500 pounds to its curb weight, and that shows up in more understeer in tightly kinked roads, but it’s still an easy drive.

Final Word

Every 2022 Toyota RAV4 is praiseworthy, and there are so many to choose from, from base crossover to TRD Off-Road to the high-mileage Hybrid to the one that steals the show, the 302-hp Prime. If you can’t find one, an XLE Hybrid delivers all the basic goodness, plus very good fuel economy.

https://www.newcartestdrive.com/reviews/2022-toyota-rav4/

Published in Toyota

Friday, 14 January 2022 09:30

2022 Audi A3, S3 Review: Fast and Flawed

The verdict: Redesigned for 2022, the Audi A3 and S3 sedans offer balanced handling and myriad standard features, but hesitant transmissions and inconsistent quality let them down.

Versus the competition: With consumers overwhelmingly preferring SUVs these days, any small luxury sedan starting around $35,000 better be one hell of a car to justify its existence. The A3 and S3 have their moments, but drawbacks we experienced behind the wheel and elsewhere keep both cars short of the mark.

With front- or all-wheel drive, the A3 runs from the mid-$30,000s to around $50,000. The S3 packs considerably more performance and standard AWD; it’ll set you back another $11,000 or so at either end of the trim lineup. Around Cars.com’s Chicago headquarters, we drove an A3 with AWD and Audi’s optional sport suspension; we also drove the A3 and S3 back-to-back at a drive event in October in southeast Michigan. See our initial take after that drive, stack up the new A3 and S3 side by side, or compare them with their prior-generation 2020 counterparts (both cars skipped the 2021 model year).

Related: 2022 Audi A3, S3 Quick Spin: Transmission Travails

Audi has also redesigned the related RS 3, which offers even more performance, but it had not yet debuted as of this writing.

Whether it’s the weak initial grunt of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe or the modest overall power of the Mercedes-Benz A220, the base powertrains in many entry-luxury sedans have been underwhelming. So it goes for Audi: From a stop, the A3’s turbo four-cylinder (201 horsepower and 221 pounds-feet of torque) delivers swift accelerator response and robust, usable oomph early on. But once you reach cruising speed, that oomph is hard to access.

The culprit seems to be the A3’s transmission, a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic, which upshifts early and often. When you try to accelerate when already in motion, though, it needs a cigarette break before obliging. By my stopwatch, the A3 consistently needed a full two seconds to downshift into a lower gear and surge ahead during a standard 50 mph kickdown maneuver — despite plenty of engine windup that suggested something was coming. That’s a third longer than most cars I run through that test require and twice as long as the most responsive examples.

Transmission kickdown at lower speeds seemed similarly delayed in the A3, though I didn’t time it. It wasn’t just me, either; multiple Cars.com editors have criticized the A3’s transmission. The sedan’s Dynamic setting — which is the sportiest of several selectable drive modes — holds lower gears longer than the default mode, which lessens the need to kick down as often. But when the drivetrain eventually does settle into a higher gear, requesting a lower one can take just as long.

The S3 (306 hp and 295 pounds-feet of torque) betters kickdown lag to a more average delay. The car is expectedly quick, especially as rpm builds. Power becomes explosive past 5,000 rpm or so — enough to lend the car a peaky, rev-happy character with some novel turbo lag. It’s rather different from the A3’s low-rpm around-town versatility. A little more displacement might even out some of the top-heavy approach: Like the A3, the S3’s turbo four-cylinder displaces 2.0 liters, though the A3’s engine has a higher compression ratio thanks to Audi’s novel B-cycle.

The S3 recommends premium fuel, while the A3 runs fine on regular — with better EPA gas mileage.

Both Audis we tested were outfitted with their more aggressive suspension and wheel options: 18-inch wheels and an optional sport-tuned suspension on the A3, and 19s and an S sport suspension with adaptive shock absorbers on the S3. Ride quality in the A3 is firm but livable, with some harsh impacts at highway speeds but good overall body control. The S3 rides firmer still, particularly at highway speeds, where frost heaves and other bumps can prove disruptive even in the suspension’s comfort-oriented setting; at lower speeds, it’s more similar to the A3’s sport suspension — on the workable side of firm.

It’s worth noting that tiny luxury sedans aren’t exactly a comfortable-riding group, so Audi isn’t an outlier here. The standard setup on either car (17-inch wheels on the A3, 18s with passive shocks on the S3) has the potential to soften things up, but we didn’t test an A3 or S3 thus equipped.

In both cars, Audi’s AWD earns its keep when it comes to dynamics, not just all-weather traction. It sends enough power rearward during mid-corner acceleration to fend off understeer, making for gratifying, neutral balance. Roadholding was good in both cars (the tires were Pirelli PZero all-seasons on the A3, Bridgestone Potenza high-performance summers on the S3), with minimal body roll during turn-in. Steering feedback is good across the board, with the S3’s quicker ratio delivering a welcome dose of extra sharpness.

The A3’s interior has physical buttons in most areas, save a pod of touch-sensitive stereo controls — including the dreaded volume slider — on the center console. Still, I’ll take this over the multiple-touchscreen overkill situation you’ll find in many pricier Audis. A single dashboard touchscreen in the A3 and S3 measures a diagonal 10.1 inches, though its widescreen ratio makes the displayed area smaller than that spec suggests. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration are standard, as is a 10.25-inch digital gauge display. A larger (12.3-inch) unit is optional.

Passenger space is in short supply. The front seats afford good sliding range but narrow berths, clapping their occupants’ knees against the doors and console. Backseat legroom is acceptable for what these cars are, but the low bench means adult passengers’ knees will be uncomfortably elevated — and there’s no payoff in headroom. In our evaluation of car-seat accommodations, the A3 had easy-access Latch anchors, but fitting our rear-facing infant and convertible seats required moving the front passenger seat so far forward, most adults couldn’t comfortably sit there.

Our independent accounting of cargo volume turned up just 12.82 cubic feet of space in the A3. That’s less than the Cadillac CT4 (13.68 cubic feet), not to mention most non-luxury compact sedans (compare Cars.com cargo specs for the A3 against other cars of various sizes and body styles). Any way you slice it, the A3 is snug.

Of course, that’s to be expected of an entry-level luxury sedan, but Audi’s inconsistent interior quality is less excusable. Uncharacteristic of a brand known for handsome interior finishes, the A3 and S3 sport big ribbons of low-rent, grainy plastic near the door handles and gear selector, and once you get to the rear doors, you’ll find a degree of cost-cutting that smacks of a $20,000 compact car. Even the supposed soft-touch areas up front are just barely that; it’s a check-the-box mindset that smacks of bean counters. Granted, price constraints for entry-level luxury cars have always forced tough decisions about what areas to invest in, but the skimping is obvious in the A3 and S3.

Should You Buy the A3 or S3?

The A3 starts at $34,945 (all prices include destination) with FWD, which is in the ballpark with other entry-luxury models. It’s well equipped at that, with standard heated leather seats and eight-way power adjustments, tri-zone climate control, a moonroof, lane departure warning with steering assist, and forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking. AWD is standard on the S3 ($45,945) and another $2,000 on the A3. Options include adaptive cruise control, hands-on lane centering, a Nappa leather upgrade, custom paint and the upsized virtual gauges. Loaded with factory options, the A3 tops out near $50,000, while the S3 can reach over $60,000.

Nicer interiors, more space and better drivetrains exist for similar money as the A3 — though not necessarily all in the same car, at least among luxury brands. (You can find that by stepping down to mass-market brands, which is a longstanding reality for lower-end luxury cars, but that’s a conversation for another day.) Somewhere in all this is an equation that works for a certain A3 shopper, and if you’ve read this entire review up to now, there’s a good chance you want in on that. Still, it’s dubious justification at best for a car with obvious flaws.

The S3 is a different beast. It’s just as cramped and penny-pinched as the A3, but it combines buckets of extra power with a less objectionable transmission, addressing what could be a deal-breaking flaw of the A3. If there’s a palatable car in the A3/S3, it’s on the backside of the alphabet.

https://www.cars.com/articles/2022-audi-a3-s3-review-fast-and-flawed-445335/

Published in Audi

Friday, 14 January 2022 09:26

2022 Toyota Noah and Voxy

Toyota is promoting the new, fourth-generation MPV models Noah and Voxy in the Japanese market.

Along with a more modern exterior design and a modernized interior (with up to eight seats), these models also come with a TNGA-C platform, el. sliding doors, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, as well as an available hybrid drive system.

The standard version has a 2.0-liter gasoline engine and CVT transmission, while the hybrid variant combines a 1.8-liter gasoline and electric motor.

In addition, as an option, there are also trimmed TRD and Modellista versions, with an aero body package, 18-inch alloy wheels, JBL sound system ...

2022 Noah and Voxy also offer a slightly more spacious interior than before (with an 8.0-inch or 10.25-inch touchscreen), and in terms of dimensions, it is 4695 mm long, 1730 mm wide, 1895-1925 mm high and 2850 mm wheelbase .

Prices in Japan range from 2,670,000 to 3,960,000 yen (from 20,355 to 30,190 euros).

Published in Blog/News

Thursday, 13 January 2022 06:59

Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake review

At a glance
New price	£38,230 - £54,435
Lease from new	From £427 p/mView lease deals
Used price	£23,615 - £43,560
Used monthly cost	From £589 per month
Fuel Economy	30.4 - 235.4 mpg
Road tax cost	£155 - £490
Insurance group	21 - 29How much is it to insure?
New 4.5 - 35.2 Miles per pound (mpp) What is mpp?

PROS

Strong engines
Absolutely brilliant on the motorway
Comfortable high-speed ride

CONS

If you want practical, buy a Passat
It doesn't feel as special as some premium rivals
Fiddly touch-sensitive controls

Whatever you do, don’t call the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake an estate. Although it has a longer, taller roofline than its coupe sibling to give more load space, it sacrifices a little practicality for a bit more style.

If the term Shooting Brake has you scratching your head, think of classics such as the Reliant Scimitar GTE and Volvo P1800 ES, both of which followed the same formula. However, while they only had a pair of doors and a tailgate, the Arteon Shooting Brake has four usefully large doors to make accessing the rear seats a cinch.

As you’d expect from something designed to be desirable, it takes only the more powerful engines from the Passat on which it’s based. That means a bare minimum of 150hp, a punchy plug-in hybrid and even a hot 320hp R version.

What's it like inside?

The Arteon fastback received an update in 2021, and the Shooting Brake has all of these revisions from the off. The overall design of the interior has been refined over the outgoing model, with an updated infotainment set-up and revised controls. If it looks and feels familiar in here, it's because it's closely based on the Volkswagen Passat's interior, and save for a few details, they're largely identical.

Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake (2021) interior view

Depending on which model you choose, the infotainment system's buttons have been replaced by touchpads - and for those that have, it’s become more complicated, not easier. The steering wheel pads are less-than satisfying than the old buttons, too. It takes a long time to get used to, is too easy to accidentally change something when you’re twirling the wheel, and doesn’t make the digital instrument cluster any easier to tackle.

The touch controls on the ventilation dials, too, are a case of making things more difficult than they need to be; you can tap or slide the temperature controls and, while there’s an indent for it that allows your finger to know exactly what it’s pressing, you still have to spend just a little too long looking at where you’re pointing. That’s especially worrisome as the controls are mounted low down, just in front of the gear selector.

Practicality and luggage space

Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake (2021) driving

The regular Arteon is already a very practical car, space-wise, with the Shooting Brake version offering a negligible improvement for passengers. Rear space is still great, even for tall adults both in terms of head and legroom, and Volkwagen has added some neat details like small pockets in the rear seats for things like your phone.

The estate-shaped boot is 565-litres in volume – putting it roughly on par with the BMW 5 Series Touring, Audi A6 Avant and Volvo V90. It’s only two litres more volume than the Arteon fastback, but the difference comes if you fold the seats down – the Arteon Shooting Brake offers 1,632 litres compared to the Arteon hatch’s 1,557 litres. For reference, the Passat offers up to 1,780 litres with the seats folded.

Plug-in eHybrid versions do have a smaller boot because the hybrid battery is mounted under the boot floor, pushing it upwards. Even so, 455 litres with the seats up is still a useful amount of space.

What's it like to drive?

The 190hp 2.0-litre TSI petrol is arguably all the Arteon you’ll need. It's a punchy performer, refined at cruising, and happily delivered a 45.6mpg average over 600-miles of testing.

Although it's quiet and a consumate motorway cruiser, there’s a raspy growl to it when you want it that we really like. The engine note is a lot like a Golf GTI's, but when you don't want to push things, there's still a useful band of pulling power between 2,500rpm and 5,000rpm. What this means is that there's instant motorway acceleration and no problems from steep inclines.

The DSG automatic transmission is responsive from a standing start and shifts smoothly, even if you like to manually change gears with the steering wheel's paddle shifters. It’s programmed to avoid shifting down even under heavy throttle loads, instead using the engine’s torque to gain speed. A 0-62mph time of 7.6 seconds means it happily keeps up with the flow.

If company car tax is a consideration, it’s well worth considering the 1.4-litre TSI eHybrid. This posts an identical 7.6sec 0-62mph time but sits in a far lower BIK company car tax band. It’s not particularly rapid in electric only mode, with just enough oomph to keep up with traffic, but can kick the petrol engine into life after a brief hesitation and combines power sources smoothly. Economy depends entirely on how much running is done in electric mode, but over 50mpg isn’t too hard to achieve with infrequent charges.

Handling

This is an excellent long-distance cruiser and is at its best on motorways. Along with ample soundproofing and low levels of wind noise, the Arteon feels planted on the motorway. On its large R-Line wheels and standard dampers it's not perfect, and although the high-speed ride is settled in town, on poorly-surfaced roads lumps and bumps can filter uncomfortably into the cabin.

Things improve if you’ve selected the DCC adaptive suspension (standard on the eHybrid and R) as it allows you to soften things off even more. It still fidgets a little over scruffy surfaces, especially on 19-inch and 20-inch wheels, while the softest modes to allow a bit too much float and wallow on undulating roads, though.

The driving position is excellent, although rearward visibility isn't great through the letterbox-like back window. All of the seats are supportive enough to have you shrug off several hours of driving without any hint of discomfort, with R versions proving even more figure hugging with a massage function, too.

R versions four-wheel drive systems do add an extra layer of driver involvement, proving happy to send a dollop of power to the rear wheels to help tighten your line when exiting a corner. A 3 Series Touring is still a little more nimble, but the Arteon Shooting Brake R is exceedingly capable for such a big car and able to entertain a little when pushed hard.

What models and trims are available?

The Arteon Shooting Brake's range is straightforward, with three models and a range of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines to choose from. Model lines are the entry-level but well-equipped Elegance and sporty R-Line and hot R.

What else should I know?

We reckon its closest rival will be the Arteon fastback (or 'Gran Turismo' according to Volkswagen). Anyone looking at that stylish Volkswagen will clearly also consider this one - and it will come down to personal preference on styling as to which one you go for.

However the Arteon Shooting Brake will also be high on your list if you're looking for a stylish lifestyle-oriented five-door estate. You certainly have more options than you did a few years ago. The Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake and Peuegeot 508 SW are very similar in concept, and were joined in 2018 by the interesting Kia ProCeed Shooting Brake.

Best family cars 2021
Best estate cars 2021

Click through to see whether we recommend buying a Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake.

Should you buy one?

Yes, even though it's a hard car to recommend on purely rational grounds. We’re happy Volkswagen has made such a good-looking estate to try and counter the unremitting dullness of the Passat Estate. But you’re almost certainly buying the Shooting Brake for its looks – the boot is effectively no larger than the Arteon fastback with the rear seats in place, for starters.

And that's the thing. Given the straight choice between the Arteon 'Gran Turismo' (fastback coupe in non-marketing speak) and the Shooting Brake, we'll take the latter every day of the week. It might have little more room inside, but it's just a whole lot more desirable.

We're not keen on the Arteon's updated screen and controls – some of it works, some of it doesn’t quite hit the mark. It might get better with familiarity, but don't count on it. Where it really scores points in its ability to cover massive distances with ease. No doubt – the Arteon is a fantastic motorway cruiser, with an impressive ride even without adaptive damper trickery and a quiet petrol engine.

Which is the best Arteon Shooting Brake for you?

If you're buying it with your own money, the 190hp TSI petrol model is a brilliant all-rounder and a great combination of performance and economy. In our test period of this model, we easily achieved an average of 45mpg in mixed A-road and motorway driving, despite it being rapid and refined when you need more go.

But if you're a long-distance driver, and spend all day long in sixth gear, the 200hp TDI also looks to be a great option, with over 50mpg likely to be acheivable. As for the tax-efficient TSI eHybrid PHEV, it makes the most sense if you’re doing mostly short distances with frequent charges, but is surprisingly efficient on a longer trip, too.

The R is harder to recommend if you’ve got your sensible trousers on thanks to a list price that starts with a five and economy that’ll typically be in the low thirties unless you’re enjoying yourself. If you are using all 320hp, economy in the teens is easily achievable. However, if you're looking for a good-looking, smile inducingly quick, long-distance companion, and have outgrown a more traditional hot hatch, this one will be right up your street.

Is it as good as its premium rivals?

Yes, a BMW 5 Series Touring is better to drive, while the Volvo V90 and Audi A6 Avant all feel much more premium-feeling inside. But the Arteon is cheaper than all of those in cash terms and arguably better looking than the lot. As elegant and appealing as it is, if you're after the best estate car for the money on rational grounds, you still have to look at the more compact BMW 3 Series Touring first.

But if you're sold on its looks, the Arteon is a good car, and far more than a simple case of style over substance.

https://www.parkers.co.uk/volkswagen/arteon/shooting-brake/review/verdict/

Published in Volkswagen

Thursday, 13 January 2022 06:53

2022 Mercedes-AMG SL-Class First Drive: Bigger, Better, Luxuriouser

The AMG gang in Affalterbach desperately wants you to know a few things about the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL-Class. One, they designed it. From scratch and with little help from the Benz mothership. Two, it barely shares a screw or rivet with the AMG GT Roadster they also designed. Three, despite the new SL having grown a pair of vestigial back seats and adding a few inches in length, it promises to be the sportiest SL roadster since the racing-derived 300SL from 1957. And four, thanks to miracles of modern science, this new R232 SL also promises to deliver comfort on par with—if not exceeding—that of its Mercedes-developed R231 predecessor.

Three months of engineering roundtable Zoom calls and even a low-speed ridealong event have sufficiently satisfied us on the first two points; it's the last two that we've been itching to verify. At long last we had the opportunity to flog both the SL55 and SL63 variants on a variety of highways and twisting roads. So, has AMG managed to channel the speed-record-setting, Mille Miglia-winning verve of the original W196 while making the car even more cosseting and comfy than the outgoing roadsters?

Mercedes-AMG SL Performance In A Straight Line

The 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63 will undoubtedly go down in our record books as the quickest SL we've tested. Mercedes claims this 577-hp, 590-lb-ft beast will dash from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, thanks in large part to newly standard all-wheel-drive traction that guarantees none of those ponies or pound-feet gets squandered generating tire smoke or brake heat from traction-control intervention. Converting those estimates to account for MotorTrend launch-control test conditions and a 1-foot rollout will probably boil that number down to something much closer to 3.0 seconds flat. (The last two SL models we tested each beat Mercedes' conservative estimates by exactly half a second.) The SL55, running the exact same engine but with smaller turbos and slightly less aggressive tuning produces "just" 469 horsepower and 517 lb-ft. The AMG team reckons it'll give up three-tenths to the SL63.

For some perspective, that performance should rank the SL models somewhere about even with the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S and GTS cabriolets, which is to say, ahead of the BMW M850i xDrive cab (3.9 seconds to 60 mph) and way out in front Lexus LC500 (4.7 seconds) in the bucks-up 2+2 cabrio set.

What it mostly does, in addition to heightening all the car's responses, is switch to a perfectly linear throttle response map. There's more gain earlier in the pedal travel in the Sport and Sport+ modes, which may make the car seem more eager and powerful, but at some cost to the predictability serious drivers prefer. The computer programming in Sport+ and Race modes devotes a bit of extra fuel to generating delightful pops and snorts on overrun. That feature is fun, but this mode also tends to deliver some harsher downshifts when slowing, which can feel like grabbing brakes (this never happened in Comfort mode).

We only got the SL63 up to triple-digit speeds briefly, but with the optional AMG Aerodynamics package, an air dam in front of the engine lowers 1.6 inches at speeds above 50 mph to help induce a venturi effect that helps suck the car down to the ground and reduce front-axle lift.

SL-Class Handling Behavior

These are heavy cars, pushing two-and-a-quarter tons. But AMG Active Ride Control, which connects opposite corners of the car hydraulically to limit body roll (as on various McLaren cars and now Rivian trucks), truly makes them feel as agile as cars weighing a half-ton less. This is another feature that's standard on the SL63, and available to help make your SL55 cost almost as much as a 63.

Clicking the steering-wheel-mounted drive mode selector clockwise relaxes the stability nannies somewhat, making the cars progressively more neutral in their handling demeanor, but there's no "drift mode," no option to bar torque from reaching the front axle. (That's right—unlike the AMG GT family, the SLs are all-wheel drive.) And hence, even an aggressive drive up Mount Palomar on a cool morning with slightly dewy road surface, we never once sensed Race mode allowing the tail to run wide. More than a little credit here is due the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires—265/40 front, 295/35 rear on the standard 20-inch rims, or 275/35 front and 305/30 on the optional 21s we mostly ran.

The carbon-composite brakes deserve honorable mention for being equally adept at shedding heroic speeds upon approach to a tightening-radius corner—corner after corner—as they are at executing a limousine stop in town. Both models share this standard six-piston front, single-piston rear brake system.

Steering feel changes as you switch modes, and we generally found the comfort mode to be a bit too light. The other modes don't heighten the driver's feel for the road, per se, but the firmer helm feels better. We were blissfully unaware of the four-wheel steering (standard on both models) doing its thing, except when executing exceptionally tight U-turns.

The California roads between Newport Beach and Palm Springs are relatively smooth, but we aimed for the bumpiest patches we could find and were impressed by the suspension compliance afforded in Comfort mode. The Sport and Race modes firm things up noticeably enough that we took the time to program the Individual mode with everything set to its raciest option and the suspension set to Comfort. This was our Goldilocks "just right" setting, but we also appreciated that individual characteristics (steering, ride, exhaust noise, etc.) can be easily adjusted on the fly using the round selector and twin toggle switches at the lower left side of the wheel, just opposite the main mode-selector switch. The super-rigid multi-material structure never seemed to twist or jiggle in response to bumps.

What's The Mercedes-AMG SL-Class Like To Live With?

Mostly wonderful. The cabin seems as quiet with the soft top up as the previous model did with its folding hard top raised. The Z-fold fabric roof lowers in 15 seconds at the touch of a button, and a switch allows all four windows to be lowered simultaneously. Happily, the sun visors swivel out, unlike on some convertibles. Raise the windows and pull up the mesh-screen wind blocker that covers the rear "seat" to keep the cabin remarkably calm and quiet even at highway speeds. In cooler weather, switch on the Airscarf neck-warmer to extend the top-down season (the cockpit isn't long enough to need the E-Class convertible's Air Cap windshield header air-management screen).

The center info screen adjusts between 12 and 32 degrees to prevent sun from reflecting directly into the driver's eyes, though the buttons for adjusting this (and for raising and lowering the top) can be hard to see when that glare prompts you to fix the screen. We're also not completely sold on a lot of the capacitive switchgear in use here. The mirror switch, for example, didn't seem to respond as expected. We have yet to experience capacitive switches we love.

As with all new Mercedes products, the all-digital instrument cluster can be set to display any of several different themes and tons of information, the most pertinent of which is redundantly shown on the head-up display (standard on 63, optional on 55). Track Pace screens will help folks monitor and improve their performance on their car country club track, and the additional stowage space behind the front seats and in the trunk should make the new SL much more useful as a daily driver.

We reckon the new car is comfortable enough to retain the SL faithful and sporty enough to pull some customers out of 911s, the BMW 8 Series, and Lexus LCs. Of those, the BMW's nearly 5 inches of added wheelbase gives it a slightly more usable rear seat (the SL's is only rated for passengers shorter than 5 feet tall). A lighter Porsche will always feel nimbler, and the Lexus design may turn more heads, but this Mercedes-AMG enjoys nearly seven decades of heritage, and this R232 pays legitimate homage to its very best SL progenitors.

When And How Much?

The 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL-Class will go on sale in the second quarter of 2022. Mercedes isn't talking pricing just yet, but it seems a safe bet to assume that since the new 2+2-seat SL is effectively replacing both the four-seat S-Class cabriolet and two-seat R231 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, pricing should represent an average of these models. Let's figure $132K for the SL55 and $175K for the SL63. That prices the new SL right in the thick of the 2+2-passenger convertible crowd.

Looks good! More details?

2022 Mercedes-AMG SL-Class Specifications
BASE PRICE	$132,000-$175,000 (est)
LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 2+2-pass, 2-door convertible
ENGINE	4.0L/469-577-hp/516-590-lb-ft twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 32-valve V-8

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-mercedes-amg-sl-class-first-drive-review/

Published in Mercedes

Thursday, 13 January 2022 06:51

Jetour T-X

The Chinese Jetour brand (part of Chery) started 2022 with a new T-X concept, with the announcement that the serial version of this SUV will arrive on the market in a year.

The production model should carry the T-1 designation, with this 460 cm long SUV initially being available with a 2.0-liter turbo petrol with 254hp and 390Nm.

Later, the range will be expanded with new versions, including a hybrid variant.

Published in Blog/News