Holden Ute VF

The Commodore family wouldn’t be complete without the VF facelift being extended to what must be one of the most charismatic Australian cars. Like what was mentioned on Calais’ article, these cars represent why prospering in the car world isn’t done neither with only global or only regional projects, but using a combined strategy. Ford has followed this concept at that market using Falcon, which has been this family’s archenemy for decades. So now you’re about to read the latest chapter of this delicious competition.

Even though the market has received many new categories in the last years, such as four-door coupés, retro-inspired compacts and the endless variations under the “crossover” label, their purposes may be very different but the history is usually the same: one particular automaker found a gap of the demand that no one was satisfying directly and released a very different car which, according to its intentions, the public would prefer instead of the existing ones. Some ended failing, but others achieved so much success that soon became followed by the rivals. However, other categories were created by clearer demands, such as the Brazilian compact pick-ups: in the 1970s, this market’s commercial sector had only s-size trucks or big pick-ups. The exception came with an adapted version of Fiat 147, whose reduced size gave it excellent handling in city streets, along with the much better fuel consumption of an urban car – the hatchback was already very commended for its frugality. The Australian situation was very similar, in fact: that public wanted smaller pick-ups, although not as much as the Brazilians’, but also taking the advantages of being derived from urban vehicles: it was possible to share most of the mechanics and even several visible parts, such as the interior’s front part, resulting on unusually attractive commercial cars.

Besides the size, another big difference between those regional trends came with the time passage: while the Brazilian pick-ups wanted to resemble the big sisters, using off-road-inspired accessories, the Australian preferred looking as similar to the urban siblings as they could possibly be. Holden Ute’s last generations are a nice example of that: the big length is “disguised” by very clever styling, with items such as curving the cabin’s external silhouette so it looks longer, using a narrow auxiliary window to “disguise” the sedan’s carried over front door’s “incomplete” design, or taking the wagons’s wheelbase: it avoids a new project’s costs, and having the rear axle very far from the rear end doesn’t leave too big plain areas on the sides – Falcon uses the same solutions. They have some restrictions, like when didn’t accept well the double-cab Crewman, but this public’s overall reaction is impressive, reaching the point of approving a vehicle as picturesque as One Tonner. Holden began to present the latest Ute in the upscale version SSV, which means it has the exact same front fascia as Commodore, but looking very much like an aftermarket-tuned pick-up. There are all the sedan’s aerodynamic and styling kits, while the interior keeps the excellent news by being an exact copy until the front seats. This car is also expected to arrive in June, receiving the 6.2-liter V-8.

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Holden Sportwagon VF

It was a matter of short time. The Australian automaker decided to reveal each sibling of this family at once, and now it’s the gorgeous station wagon’s time. Sportwagon enters the VF phase with the same attractive front fascia debuted on the Calais sedan, but carrying over the side and also the rear sections, although they really didn’t need to change – it’s impressive how a well-proportioned design can make even luxury wagons look nimble, despite this one’s 13-ft length. This car is expected to arrive in June, with V-6 and V-8 engines.

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Chevrolet SS

Taking measures to protect the environment has already become an important part of many people’s everyday. There is at least one task that can be added to any lifestyle very easily, but the problem comes when they attack what a person likes best – like making car fans drive electric or hybrid vehicles. The prevailing attitude has been to accept the ecological cars, but we’ll always have that hidden thirst for speed produced by big gasoline engines with their irresistible sounds. This sedan is GM’s latest way of quenching it.

Yes, if you integrate the team who defends efficiency and low-polluting need to be every car’s concerns, unfortunately you won’t like this one. SS is the result of Chevrolet’s wish of a performance-focused sedan, which means having not only a powerful engine but also the whole concept dedicated to this, which finds response also in the sporty design and exclusive structural characteristics such as the rear traction. GM has essentially rebadged the recently showed Holden Commodore VF to the North-American brand, just like they did in 2007 with Pontiac G8. In fact, the latter only had to be dropped due to the 2008 crisis, which made GM reorganize its entire line and cut even entire brands. Pontiac’s end couldn’t avoid taking G8, but there was always a rumor that something would be done to sell this car in North America once again. The older came from Commodore VE, but this and VF are nothing but different phases of the Australian’s same fourth and current generation – VF must’ve been projected considering SS since the beginning, because Chevy’s car was released only few days after Holden’s. It is true that those cars use an aging platform that will be completely dropped in some years, but it’s also the best solution for now. The Australian division has made a huge evolution when it comes to technology and performance, including retuned chassis and new electrical architecture.

In other words, the covered parts were as refreshed as the exterior, which dropped the 2000s’ typical straight creases and lines for a much more elegant design, characterized by more imponent shapes and smoother volumes – to be more specific, SS is the rebadged version of Holden’s SSV version, not Calais. Chevrolet’s influence is noticed at the dual-cockpit interior, but also in the huge touchscreen’s infotainment system: MyLink is only one item of the large list which includes stitched-leather seats, Bose sound system and even automatic parking assist, with the optional power sunroof. What the attractive black, chrome and red decoration doesn’t show, though, is SS’s top-notch powertrain: the rear axle will be powered by Camaro’s LS3 6.2L V-8, delivering 415-hp power and 415-lb-ft torque, which takes it very close to the new Corvette Stingray. The six-speed automatic transmission will help SS to achieve the announced 5-second 0 to 60 mph acceleration, while the stopping will be credited to Brembo brakes (front rotors with 14” and rear with 12.8”), everything running on 19” wheels and Bridgestone tires (245/40 and 275/35, respectively). SS received the entire latest collision-prevention equipment, but the technology didn’t reached too much under the hood: there aren’t direct injection, cylinder deactivation or variable valve timing. After all, everyone’s entitled to remember once again the good old times of “there’s no substitute for cubic inches”.

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Holden Commodore SSV

This one is for those who liked the VF Australian sedan unveiled just a couple of days ago, but would really prefer to change Calais’ black-tie to a more casual luxury. The sedan once again honors Holden’s sporty version, so that’s why there are beautiful wheels matching exclusive bumpers, which have bigger intakes and two twin exhaust pipes. The interior shares Calais’ top-notch equipment list, but coming in a black-with-silver combination only broken by the red lights. This car is expected to share Chevrolet’s V8 6.2L.

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Holden Commodore VF

Even though every market has very particular preferences when it comes to cars, some result even more interesting to observe than the others. Australia and Brazil, for example, have very different cars but coincide in some aspects, such as creating their own categories (and turning them very successful) and receiving almost as many foreign projects as having domestic ones being exported. So before this sedan appears as North American Chevrolet’s new s-size, how about knowing what its homeland has just revealed?

Just like Ford with Falcon, GM’s Australian division has been selling Commodore with great numbers for many years. Holden has taken inspiration some times from Chevrolet and others from Opel, but always resulting at an excellent car which could easily be sold anywhere else – the last two generations, for example, went to Brazil as Chevrolet Omega. But if the Europeans are used to reduce the cars’ updates only to half-life facelifts and new generations, and North Americans receive several tiny updates between the bigger changes, the Australians extend a car lifecycle by creating some partial restylings each two or three years; the third Commodore, alone, had three of them in about ten years. The current phase debuted in 2006, but the bigger time lapse until its first update is probably explained by the very big initial budget spent on attending the public’s very high expectations. The codename VF, comes as a more important facelift because it might be the only one: GM is planning to create a whole new Commodore for 2016 underpinned by a whole new global platform. However, since this will take a long time to happen, for now it’s possible to to appreciate what is certainly this car’s best moment ever. The excellent first impression was guaranteed by starting with Calais, which is this car’s upmarket version. That’s Holden’s way of showing everything its sedan is capable of.

The external pictures start to show that Holden managed to refresh this sedan making it so attractive that could easily be mistaken for a new generation. The overall impression is that it abandoned the 2000s style trends in favor of a more European inspiration, giving away the sharp cuts and creases in exchange of smoother volumes and much more classy elements. In fact, there’s no wonder why this car has been exported as Opel Omega’s equivalent: VF really resembles Insignia, not a direct competitor but as a bigger brother, because it’s more opulent. But the many similarities are there, specially related to the implicit sportiness given by the irregularly-shaped lights and the very discreet creases. Entering the car reveals a whole new cabin, with seats, doors and console matched in a very elegant two-toned decoration. But the even better news are located at the items list: like every true luxury version, Calais can bring heads-up display, GM MyLink infotainment system, parallel and 90-degree parking assistance, electric steering and several safety systems, to prevent front and rear collisions at low speed, involuntary lane changing and to improve external visibility. Engine data wasn’t revealed so far, but it’s expected that Commodore’s biggest changes will be efficiency improvements, rather than engine changes. This new phase will also generate the other versions, such as Berlina, Omega, HSV, SSV, SV6 and Z-Series.

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Audi A6 Allroad

Se você acompanha as novidades automotivas do mercado brasileiro com certa frequência, com certeza lembrará que o ano passado foi muito importante para a Audi no país. Tivemos toda uma ampliação de sua linha, com modelos de todos os tamanhos e preços chegando sem tanto atraso e até acompanhados de outros até pouco tempo atrás improváveis. As novidades de 2013 também têm enorme importância, mas cada uma pelos próprios motivos. A primeira é esta perua, que segue uma tendência muito famosa no Brasil.

Suspensão elevada, revestimentos externos em plástico preto, detalhes como rack de teto e estribos laterais, cabine um tanto mais “rústica”… A receita dos chamados “aventureiros urbanos” começou em meados dos anos 1990 com duas peruas, uma na Europa e outra no Brasil. Volvo V70 Cross Country e Fiat Palio Adventure deram duas interpretações diferentes ao nicho de mercado que de início fez fama por representar a união entre a vocação familiar de uma station wagon com toques mais aventureiros vindos dos SUVs. A questão é que em poucos anos esse conceito convergiu aos crossovers, de forma que hoje em dia essas peruas têm um público bem mais restrito e precisam de maiores esforços para continuar agradando. Em outras palavras, é necessário que estejam em perfeita sintonia com o que seus clientes desejam. A faixa de V70 e A6 Allroad tem enormes diferenças da de Palio Adventure e VW Space Cross, mas todas vêm apenas em decorrência das faixas de preço – o conceito, no entanto, é o mesmo. O segundo batalhão é bem mais conhecido pelo brasileiro, em que as peruas compactas focam numa profusão de acessórios maiores e menores mas sempre em especial no exterior, para conseguir um visual bem diferenciado das versões comuns. O interior até recebe mudanças, mas ali a regra é oferecer o pacote de itens mais completo. Ou seja, o resultado é uma versão de topo com visual exclusivo e algum preparo para o off-road leve, mas sem investir demais.

Já quem faz parte do mercado de luxo e decide levar uma perua do segmento que também inclui a Peugeot 508 RXH tem outros objetivos. Eles também gostam da ideia de jovialidade trazida pelos acessórios exclusivos, mas não perdem o gosto pela discrição. E os que precisam se afastar dos centros urbanos ainda apreciam os equipamentos que trazem real aptidão para o fora-de-estrada, como a tração integral. No caso da Allroad, os vários protetores em preto e prata com revestimento em aço inoxidável dão um destaque interessante por não destoar do carro e nem tentar fazê-lo parecer outro. A jovialidade implícita pelas belas rodas é continuada no interior, em que os detalhes cromados fazem um par de ótimo gosto com os revestimentos em couro marrom. Os itens de série incluem ar-condicionado bizona, central de entretenimento com GPS e tela retrátil, teto solar panorâmico e volante esportivo. Já a segurança vem com os vários tipos de airbags, câmera de ré e indicador de pressão de pneus, entre outros. Vale observar a suspensão a ar adaptativa, que em terrenos acidentados eleva o veículo em 35 mm, mas em altas velocidades privilegia a performance e o rebaixa em 15 mm. Ele traz o motor 3.0 V6 TFSI, que gera 310 cv e acelera de 0 a 100 km/h em 5s9, e que ficou 20% mais econômico: a marca informa média de 8,93 km/l, sempre usando tração integral quattro e câmbio S-Tronic de sete marchas e dupla embreagem. Foi confirmado o preço de R$ 354.900.

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Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 and E 63 AMG

Sports car fans have been delighted with high-performance versions of conventional cars for decades. Audi S and RS, BMW M, Chevrolet SS, Dodge SRT and R/T, Fiat Abarth, Ford ST, Volkswagen GTI… There are lots of examples around the world, but they’re only different ways of achieving the always impressive balance between all the sportiness of coupes and convertibles and the particular features of each car which receives them. So how about meeting not one but four of the best sporty versions of the entire world?

Although there are lots of enthusiasts that cheer with each and every car release of nowadays because they know the quality level involved, there are lots of people that still ask themselves “Why do they have to create so many vehicles? Why can’t they only stick to improve what they already have?” and other similar questions. On the other side, this blog and the entire specialized press have written so many times about the increasing need to find new markets in order to keep offering competitive products that it won’t take too long for us to run out of different ways of rewriting the same information. Nevertheless, this blog doesn’t even think of stating that as criticism because it recognizes that it doesn’t take more than a moment spent thinking as a “car fan-but-not-freak” to realize that it is really hard to notice all of this conceptual information delivered at these texts. There are many pictures of the article’s car, but also many paragraphs referring to lots of other cars, turning it very difficult to only imagine all that. Since this blog always tries to go beyond one more plain repetition of each release’s features, these four cars have been referred in this single article in order to receive also a brief illustrative comparison. The first animated picture displays the new CLS 63 AMG at its Coupé and Shooting Brake versions, while the second one shows the facelifted E-Class Sedan and Estate now as E63 AMG.

If you were guessing the first mentioned aspect would be the external design, you’re right. There’s no way to avoid it, in fact. The main guideline that inspire these cars’ differences is the ability of each one taking a particular customer, reducing the internal competition to its minimum. E-Class has always gone after the more traditional public, which has preferred the same things for decades, while CLS receives who goes to a Mercedes dealer for the absolute quality but would really prefer something different, more casual. The shared platform enables those cars to share lots of internal parts, not to mention the engines, but stays far from being a barrier against their breathtaking conceptual differences. CLS’s four-door rear is only the first symbol of the opposition to E-Class’s three well-divided volumes. And since they both have SW versions, CLS’s interpretation resulted at the Shooting Brake body. E-Class’s sides use more horizontal creases, bringing a solid, classy impression while CLS makes a contrast between the narrow but long lines dying at the rear doors right where the very imponent fender starts, reminding the North-American muscle cars idea of movement. E-Class’s elements take most space of one only side of the car, probably to remind its several previous generations: most cars from the 1970s to the 1990s used a “folded-paper design”, where you couldn’t see much of the headlights, for example, if you were looking to the hood or the sides – CLS’s shapes are much more tridimensional. And since the lights were mentioned, it would be impossible to skip them.

E-Class can join them or split them at the front or redesign them at the back in any way, but they will always remind even the 1960s ancestor – so yes, you must’ve already guessed that right: at least until now, CLS preferred to make big changes from its previous generation. Fortunately, both cabins agree at delivering fascinating quantities of sophistication and safety, but this is one of the few truces here. CLS’s cabin is more fluidic, reducing the idea of a rectangular space while E-Class is much more likely to be driven by a chauffeur. The sedans even differ at the seating: E-Class sticks to five seats, but CLS dedicates itself to four. The wagons, in turn, diverge at the trunk: if E-Class is much more focused at the families, its sister’s space is bigger in length and smaller in height, privileging cargo such as golf clubs and hunting guns. Besides the bigger wheels and the more aggressive aerodynamic kit, the AMG version brings the same “heart” for these cars: the final (and most important) truce is the twin-turbo V8 5.5L, with that performance package from before the facelift now offered as a standard item. This means this engine now produces 550 hp of power and 531 lb-ft of torque, always using the AMG SpeedShift transmission: there are double clutch, seven speeds and four driving modes. Besides, these cars use rear-wheel drive or the 4Matic AWD system, but the (even more) special feature is the S package: this new performance kit uses 4Matic and boosts these cars to 577 hp and push the speed limit to 186 mph, with average 0-60 mph times of 3.6 seconds.

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Audi SQ5

That unmistakable dark blue was first chosen for the concept car exposed at the Paris Motor Show, and now the same unmistakable dark blue will be hitting the streets right before you know. But it was realized that not everyone appreciates moving a sports car with diesel. So Audi decided to stop being so cruel… and decided to make their new crossover use two types of fuel. And if you’re wondering what this car will bring to be the best, it’s time to click this article’s title and enjoy SQ5’s complete text.

It’s very strange to see Audi releasing such an important version of this crossover when it’s about to turn five years old worldwide, because at that age most of the automakers are used to wait the car’s half-age facelift or at least using the new version to give bigger importance to that facelift, like Ford has recently done with Fiesta ST. Nevertheless, it’s always exciting to remember the unusual letter combination at this car’s name reminds this is Audi’s very first sports crossover. This is an important moment because represents when the S versions’ tradition meets the recently created Q family – Audi has been releasing sports versions for decades, but their first crossover came only in 2005. Besides, it represents one more example of the luxury brands’ most recent practice: in order to increase sales, they’re investing more than ever at entering new categories and, whenever it’s possible, creating them. There are luxury minivans and hatchbacks, four-door coupes, sporty crossovers… And they never take too long to receive their sports varieties: there are sports versions (like Audi S, BMW M and Dodge R/T), even sportier versions (like Audi RS and Dodge SRT) and only the accessories kits (usually referred with the previous labels but followed by “Package” or “Line”). Of course, it’s always nice to see a company working for please its customers, but this easily leads to wondering if some limit will be ever achieved.

However, if there was some kind of restriction about joining crossovers to very-high-performance versions, BMW has broken it years ago with X5 M and X6 M and now became followed by Audi. It consists at nothing more than applying the widely known Audi S formula to this slightly taller and tougher vehicle. There’s an aerodynamical kit including new bumpers, side and rear spoilers, bigger wheels and chrome details, as always, but it’s interesting to notice the effect it was produced at this particular car. There are many specialized texts stating that the luxury crossovers may look like a true SUV but never worry about copying their off-road characteristics. Audi Q family confirms this with only looking to its cars: Q7 has a big family car look, while Q3 never denies it’s a tougher A3. The middle sibling, in turn, manages to stand out by a bigger SUV look. Q5’s capacities at the hardest tracks aren’t compared to a Land Rover’s, but it does have bigger size than Q3 along with a nimbler impression than Q7’s, making it the best Audi option for the ones who doesn’t like an excessively urban crossover. With that considered, it becomes impossible to forget the thought that a sporty version erases this Q5’s potential. Sports car demand smoother surfaces, more painted exterior items and lower ride height, being the perfect opposite of the off-roads. In other words, this is the Audi for who prefers Q3 and Q7’s proposal but couldn’t decide the size to take.

That engine matter mentioned at this article’s beginning is also important because it’s related with the fact that SQ5 is also the first Audi S to use a diesel engine – in this case, the concept car was first shown with a twin-turbo V6 3.0L of 314 hp. But, as it was mentioned, most of the important markets outside Europe would prefer gasoline engines, which made Audi give it a TFSI propeller. More specifically, the twin-turbo V6 3.0L with 354 hp used in S5, but here paired to quattro traction system and eight-speed automatic gearbox. They end up delivering similar performances because if the TFSI brings more power, the diesel engine delivers more torque and at lower RPM rates, giving it the best acceleration time among them – 5s1 for it and 5s3 with gasoline, both with the electronically-limited 115 mph top speed. Not to mention the better average consumption rate of 30.6 mpg against 25.9 mpg. Entering this car reveals a very well-equipped cabin, with the best trim level available for Q5 in a 1.2 inch lowered ride height. The owner can choose aluminum, carbon fiber or wood details, sport seats in Alcantara or Nappa and the lots of standard technology and safety items. This car will use 20” wheels with an optional 21” set, but the dark blue won’t be the only option: it’ll also come in black. Audi is already projecting new crossovers and therefore new sporty versions, so you’ll might be seeing an R added to their names soon. Or expect they come up with better solutions than showing cars which could be easily mistaken for an “Audi répondez s’il vous plaît”.

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Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio and Coupé 2014

Some weeks after the traditional-family versions’ release, now it’s time to get some renewed E-Class to that bachelor uncle, too. It would be a nonsense to hope this facelift would've been applied only to the sedan and the station wagon, but these first official pictures show that Mercedes hasn’t gone too further in some aspects. The bright side, however, becomes very easy to see when we remember their goals here. This article will show why doing this leaves everyone with a “mission accomplished” thought.

It’s very pleasant to see an automaker perform the true interpretation of a vehicle’s version. This consists basically in deciding how far the new option will go from the original one, in order to find a nice proportion of individual personality and physical and/or conceptual resemblance with its own line. In other words, in fact it is possible to visually stretch a hatchback’s lower rear section and create a sedan. Than stretch the upper one too and achieve a station wagon. Take off the rear windows to have a pick-up. Cut them all and the rear doors to obtain a convertible, and cover it all to end up with a coupé… but even the fairly acceptable projects from nowadays already invest much more in differentiation. Therefore, climbing to the Mercedes-Benz level leads to results such as what these pictures show. Okay, the updates have the exact same labels of the four-door versions, such as “new single-unit headlights with LEDs” or “redesigned bumpers”, but it’s interesting to notice how they match the slight visual differences brought by these two. For instance, they feature exclusive rear fenders, with a much more appealing design in order to highlight that these are the sporty E-Class options. Not to mention it enables bigger differentiation from the other Mercedes sports cars: they became more opulent than the two-door C-Class and, at the same time, more classical than CL or SL.

This means presenting more particular designs is only those last mentioned ones’ proposal, which is totally appropriate for them because each one is its entire own line. These Cabrio and Coupé, in turn, show a different interpretation of their E-Class genes: the headlights use the same basic structure but in a more casual design, with irregular shapes and a different LEDs drawing, while the front grille received a bigger and more aggressive design. These differences may seem small, but the fact is they are the true responsibles for achieving what was stated at the last paragraph’s start. It isn’t necessary to invest that much into a vehicle’s new version, but achieving this “new personality” is really useful to attract better sales. After all, if a given automaker sold the exact same car only with more or less doors and with or without roof (like the Opel Corsa or Renault Mégane families in the mid-1990s, for example) there wouldn’t be many reasons to sell a particular one, leading most customers to end up with the biggest or the cheapest one – this situation could be translated into one or two variations selling very well and the others having much smaller numbers. Following the opposite strategy allows the car family to divide their public more equally, because each member brings exclusive details to please only a specific part of those buyers.

Entering these vehicles shows smaller updates, such as the redesigned dashboard with a central analog clock and the relocated gear selector, which went from the central console to the between the front seats. As what was seen in the four-door E-Class, there are much bigger improvements at the technical field: the power steering now uses an electromechanical system, which allows a self-parking function. The stereoscopic camera can monitor a much bigger surroundings’ area, the Collision Prevention system is now a standard item, and the optionals list brings a lot of similar technologies, such as lane-keeping, Pre-Safe, adaptative cruise control and the mentioned parking assist systems and 360°-camera. The only AMG-related information released so far is the item package, like what was seen at the new E-Class station wagon and now at the Coupé: exclusive bumpers and wheels are the responsibles of the more aggressive look, but the s-modified versions mustn’t take too long to appear. These cars won’t have lots of surprises about their engine options: they’ll surely maintain the E250, E350, E500 and E550 trim levels, each one with a different engine or a particular engine configuration but always using excellent transmissions, such as the seven-speed automatic gearbox. The complete E-Class will make its official debut at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show.

Read more > Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio and Coupé 2014

Qoros GQ3

Regardless of quality matters, wouldn’t be weird to see a minivan projected by Ferrari? A big pick-up truck designed by Citroën? Or a compact sedan made by Land Rover? Although most automakers now place their bets at participating in more categories, no one could ever prosper in all of them because each one has built its name around a particular market share. The Chinese cars could only became famous outside their homeland due to cheaper prices, but now there’s one brand trying to revert this situation.

This blog has already mentioned the Chinese automakers’ current attempt to follow the Japanese and Korean’s path of expanding their sales into the Western countries, using JAC Heyue A30’s article. The basic idea consists not only of taking cars which are really capable of pleasing these customers but also of bringing something extra, an exclusive appeal that could make people abandon the traditional brands in order to give those Chinese newcomers a try. They’ve already started to sell specially in America and Europe, but their vehicles always use the low-cost appeal. They came in several categories, but most of them are suitable only for the customers whose only concern is precisely the cheaper price, even though it’s tied up to questionable quality standards. However, these brands must’ve started to dislike this deal because, as a matter of fact, not every brand would like to see their products indirectly tagged as worse than their competitors. Today it would be very hard to only “erase” this reputation among the Western customers, so the Chinese decided to follow the opposite path: in order to mingle better and expand its sales, Chery is creating a luxury division. Yes, exactly like Honda did with Acura, Nissan with Infiniti and Toyota with Lexus around thirty years ago. And also as all of them there’s a Latin-like name: Qoros.

Mentioning those examples doesn’t leave much more to explain. Like GQ3, Qoros’ cars will have fancier designs with much bigger Western inspiration, which means aggressive designs combined to organic shapes, without deeper creases like the Japanese or other odd shapes such as what QQ uses. GQ3 is one of the first three vehicles planned to hit the streets in the next few years and it really represents an evolution from what is seen at Chery’s cars, but it isn’t hard to notice that Qoros still has where to evolve: details such as the big tail lights and the even bigger chrome line above the front grille really could’ve received a more elegant design. But the German-Chinese design reveals a very big interior, with plenty of space for five occupants and lots of luxury: the two-colored coating uses wooden details to give a higher-quality impression, but also hides that GQ3 was projected to achieve the perfect grade at the EuroNCAP tests. Not to mention the trim levels will be very high. Qoros plans to start selling GQ3 in China late 2013, with the European sales beginning a few months later. Besides this sedan, they will also offer a station wagon and a crossover. There are no technical specifications for GQ3 so far.

Read more > Qoros GQ3

Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2014

When it comes to selling cars, building traditions can be as tricky as not having them. Some brands decide to keep a successful concept over the years only performing updates, while others prefer fresh starts for each time they have to replace a vehicle. These strategies are equally capable of leading both to success or failure, so each case must be considered individually. Mercedes-Benz has decided to follow the first path decades ago, so each time it becomes more impressive to see how they manage to keep this success.

Creating an entire new idea for each generation of a given car allows the brand to adapt it with the current times much easier, such as what Fiat has done with their medium-sized hatchbacks: Tipo’s straight lines were very common at the late 1980s, but when the following decade’s trends became to appear they had to respond. This reaction came with not one, but two cars: using two names enabled Brava and Bravo to give much better interpretations of two-door and four-door hatchbacks separately, but both with very creative designs. Later, if the 2000s brought the straight lines back but with more imponent shapes, creating Stilo was much better than discharacterizing the previous cars. And when the car world associated organic lines to a nostalgic trend, Fiat showed a modern reinterpretation of Bravo. Meanwhile, one of the opposite examples can be given with Golf: straight lines, round lines, bigger shapes, organic shapes… Volkswagen did their best to follow each and every trend along with keeping traditions such as the overall shape and iconic details like the “C column”’s big width. Sometimes they did it better and sometimes worse, but it’s undeniable that those years built a very strong image to its customers. Like BMW, Mercedes-Benz follows the traditional path even more strictly – cars like CLS and B-Class are much more younger than E-Class, for example.

However, the last years have seen some conceptual changes even at this brand’s most classical cars. C-Class used to act as a miniature of the other Mercedes, but it was noticed that there were many possible buyers that didn’t take one because of the high prices and the “too classical” style. So the Germans decided to create cheaper versions, but along with a “cooler” design, much more casual than the previous generations. On the other side, S-Class now needs to fill the late Maybach’s gap at the very high luxury market, so what’s left for the middle brother? This facelift proves that the answer must be to stick to the tradition: apply the best current technologies to improve an already well-stabilished car. The new headlights could be a nice example of that: they’ve turned into an only piece for the first time in eighteen years in order to receive LEDs illumination, but with a two-parts shape that clearly reminds the previous design. There are several other elements which connect Mercedes’ current cars with the older ones, such as the big front grille with the SLS-like shape or the tail lights with horizontal components. This is only a half-age facelift, so the Germans wanted only to rejuvenate it. It’s easy to see that this mission was accomplished because both sedan and Touring versions now give a more dynamical impression, obtained with slightly bigger elements and less lines.

Nevertheless, a Mercedes would never be a Mercedes if there wasn’t the typical “limousine impression” that has earned so much admiration through the years. C-Class now follows a slightly different path, but E-Class doesn’t make any effort to hide that it is a typical “rich people’s car”. Not that this is a bad thing: there are no doubts that this is one of the most classy cars of its price range. This facelift came with a new dashboard and a new entertainment center which even includes Internet, and finishes to compose a really sophisticated interior, which will pamper its five occupants with lots of luxury items but also with an impressive safety system: there’s active cruise control, automatic lane-keeping, brake assistance and an optional stereoscopic camera on the windshield, that can recognize three-dimensional shapes and movements in order to improve collision preventions. As usual, Mercedes will offer a big variety of engines paired with an even bigger of versions, but no single market will have all of them. Using gasoline, there will be a 2.0 turbo for E200 and E250, a 3.5 V6 with direct injection for E300 and E350 and together with an electric one for E400 Hybrid and a 4.7 V8 twin-turbo for E550, not to mention the also double-turbined 5.5 V8 for E63 AMG – the diesel options must be E250 and E300 BlueTec. Some of those will offer the 4Matic all-wheel drive, but all of them will bring start/stop system.

Read more > Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2014

Chevrolet Camaro SS 2013

As novas rodas já antecipam: o muscle car terá pequenas novidades para compensar o preço de R$ 203 mil. As pinças de freio Brembo receberam pintura preta, mas é a cabine que melhorou mais: o Camaro ganhou nova central de entretenimento no painel, com a tela de toque de 7” que controla o novo sistema de som multimídia, a conexão Bluetooth, o reconhecimento de voz e exibe as imagens da câmera de ré. Agora o banco do passageiro também traz regulagens elétricas, e foi mantido o 6.2 V8 de 408 cv com câmbio automático.

Read more > Chevrolet Camaro SS 2013

Audi RS6 Avant

With all the enormous variety of cars released every month there are also new categories being created, and therefore others falling into inevitable sales ostracism. One of the second kind’s examples are the station wagons: the first attack came with the minivans at the 1980s and twenty years later with the crossovers, each one trying to steal a different part of those customers. There were made speculations of all kinds, but this article’s car is a perfect example of why this category has everything to stay strong for much longer.

Unlike cars such as big pick-up trucks or small hatchbacks, station wagons were always famous in both United States and Europe. They spent about fifty years satisfying people with big families, medium-sized cargo to transport and even younger people who needed a “cooler” car to travel with friends and items such as surfboards. In other words, this car category was the only “halfway” between the good-looking style and the better handling of urban cars and the bigger space and engines brought by small trucks. But those two mentioned younger categories came one focusing at the big families and the other at the light off-road lovers, which couldn’t avoid affecting the station wagons’ market. However, Audi was one of the few brands to preserve these cars by rescuing the aspect that couldn’t be explored by those new cars: the sportiness. Lower external height and bigger construction similarity to sedans and hatches make the wagons much easier to receive high performance versions because it’s easier to share parts with those, and therefore to obtain similar driving behavior. Audi RS2 not only became an icon among the urban sports cars but also changed the world’s vision of its category. In nowadays there still aren’t too many station wagons, but every bigger automakers sell at least one of them. And many of them offer a sporty version.

The following years have received lots of other RS cars, but when it comes to station wagons Audi is currently selling two options – the other one is RS4. The bigger sister has recently catched up with A6’s new generation, which means a strong and stylish design that only escapes from the “looks too much like the other Audis” tag because of the several external aerodynamic items: there are huge front air intakes, gorgeous 21” wheels, side and rear spoilers, silver-painted details and the double exhaust pipe highlighted by the exclusive bumper. Audi may draw their cars too much alike, but it’s undeniable that the bigger ones manage to don’t seem excessively long. Since A8 is sold only as a sedan, RS6 will be their biggest station wagon currently sold, but it still carries a nimble, dynamic appearance. Besides that, it’s easy to see cutting-edge all over it: there are LEDs and more LEDs to compose the illumination, and the great aerodynamics is helped by the lower roof racks seen in the most recent two-volumes Audis. If you’ve already met the new S6, entering this car will give you a strong déjà vu. There are plenty of black, silver and carbon-like details which don’t create an entirely two-toned space because of the red items: this color makes some “cameo appearances” at the dashboard, the RS series’ logotype and some buttons’ lights.

While many cars use more verticalized designs to the interior, it’s interesting to notice that Audi has been following the opposite path. The horizontal lines give a bigger-width impression, along with a lower console in order to maximize the windshield view. This car will bring the highest A6 trim level available, with two optional packages to add luxury items such as 100% LED headlights, bigger touchscreen, Bang & Olufsen sound system and internal coating in carbon fiber or matt aluminum. Opening the hood reveals the new V8, a 4.0 bi-turbo whose only flaw is to have lost 10 hp, offering 560 hp now. No, Audi hasn’t gone crazy. This engine was reprojected to optimize both performance and efficiency, so it ended up much better: the torque was increased and comes much earlier, helping to achieve 0-60 mph in 3s9, always using automatic eight-speed transmission, quattro traction and air suspension – this one can lower the ride height in 0.8 inch when driving at higher speeds. The consumption was improved in 10%, now achieving 23.5 mpg, but the most interesting technical information are three, in fact: as usual, the stock top speed stays at 155 mph, but if you remember, this car will have two optional packages. So how about knowing that the first one raises it to 174 mph… and the other lets RS6 achieve 189.5 mph?

Read more > Audi RS6 Avant

Citroën DS5

Mais uma vez os franceses mostram como sabem surpreender. Este modelo teve sua primeira exposição oficial para o Brasil feita no último Salão do Automóvel, até então com chegada prevista para o começo do ano. Mas os planos foram mudados, e agora a Citroën resolve agraciar o Brasil com nada menos que o melhor veículo que oferecem em sua linha atual. Melhor não só pelo luxo que exala por dentro e por fora, mas sim por como o faz. Este artigo mostrará por que este carro merece tanto destaque.

Um primeiro olhar pode classificar este carro como uma minivan, a julgar pela aparência geral. Mas com um corte de traseira que lembra os hatchbacks, comprimento digno das station wagons e uma linha de teto que dissimula sua altura, a melhor definição é aquela que foge de se encaixar em definições: o DS5 segue à risca a definição de crossover, em que suas características de vários segmentos estão unidas num veículo que opta por não seguir a semelhança com os SUVs que tanto se vê hoje em dia. E a ideia da Citroën começa a se expressar justamente com isso, porque este carro busca oferecer a mesma dose de luxo e tecnologia que se vê em carros de mesmo preço mas com um desenho muito mais original e criativo que quase toda a concorrência. Isso já levando em conta que reunir as vantagens de várias categorias torna o DS5 apto a disputar vendas com muitos carros, já que ele pode seduzir por ser mais jovial que um Mercedes-Benz Classe C, mais esportivo que um Hyundai ix35, mais arrojado que uma VW Passat Variant e menos “carro-de-família” que as irmãs C4 Picasso, apesar de estas custarem menos. Depois que a Citroën encerrou a produção do C6, seu topo-de-linha no mundo inteiro passou a ser o modelo que chega ao Brasil custando R$ 124.900 em configuração única, e com isso alcançando um preço superior ao da atual linha C5.

Torna-se fácil concluir que a prioridade na concepção deste carro foi o estilo, porque ele vem recheado de muitos itens que denotam qualidade de desenho e que não são vistos nem mesmo no resto da linha DS. A dianteira já se sobressai com as luzes diurna e de milha nas pontas de uma tomada de ar auxiliar em forma de “C”, mas acima de cada vistoso farol uma faixa chama atenção: ela começa desenhando o limite entre eles e o capô musculoso e só termina junto com a primeira vigia lateral, passando a fazer conexão visual com as colunas dianteiras mais criativas que já se viram: elas se prolongam entre as janelas e o teto solar panorâmico mas sem alcançar o final da carroceria, deixando que todas as demais colunas pintadas de preto lhes façam parecer que flutuam. Aliás, essa superfície superior com grande conexão visual ajuda o carro a parecer mais esguio, longe de uma minivan. A semelhança com DS3 e DS4 vem nos relevos das portas e no protetor inferior cromado que começa nos parachoques. E uma vez que você conseguir desviar o olhar das belíssimas rodas, a traseira usa lanternas em forma suavizada de bumerangue para obter um estilo bem esportivo, finalizado pelas grandes ponteiras de escape. Esta é a aplicação mais arrojada do onipresente 1.6 THP, que outra vez se apresenta com câmbio automático de seis marchas e na versão de 165 cv para evitar os custos de adaptar a versão de 200 cv ao Brasil.

Descrever a cabine é uma tarefa que se pode simbolizar comentando que o DS5 não traz um teto solar, senão três: um para o motorista, um para o carona e outro maior para o banco traseiro. Em vez de ter o console central e a extensão entre os bancos formando 90° entre si, aqui essas duas peças estão mais elevadas para facilitar o acesso aos botões e à touchscreen que já virou praxe em carros desse nível. A visibilidade sente certo efeito negativo pela linha de cintura elevada, mas é ajudada pelas colunas finas - um detalhe curioso é que suas vigias traseiras são feitas em policarbonato porque seu formato seria impossível de se modelar com vidro. Qualquer superfície dessa cabine conta com materiais de excelente qualidade, cujas peças usam toque emborrachado por fora e aveludado por dentro. Aqui, tudo o que reluz como alumínio ou couro é mesmo alumínio ou couro, o que inclui os bancos cujo revestimento usa um padrão feito com o logotipo DS no mesmo estilo das bolsas feitas pela conterrânea Louis Vuitton, por exemplo. O pacote de itens conta com o melhor que o Grupo PSA oferece, tendo como única opção as rodas em aro 17" ou 18" sem custo adicional. Ele traz tantas funções que o carro termina com uma profusão de botões incomum nos dias de hoje, mas a marca afirma que são fáceis de operar. Os 1.480 kg que pesa restringem o DS5 ao 0 a 100 km/h em 8s9 e à máxima de 211 km/h, mas o que ele menos deseja é quebrar recordes. Um carro deste nível merece é desfilar.

Read more > Citroën DS5

Volkswagen CC

Outro dos lançamentos reservados para o recente evento da VW foi a nova fase de seu cupê de quatro portas. Como a família Passat ainda está longe da época de mudar de geração, depois de sedã e perua receberem seu primeiro facelift na fase atual, agora chega a vez de atualizar o irmão “subversivo”. Mas em vez de lhe aplicar uma mera re-estilização, os alemães buscaram aproveitar seu conceito diferente para lhe dar independência, com mudanças pequenas mas de importância conceitual muito grande.

Esta mudança de nome foi o perfeito símbolo para a ideia que se quer passar com este carro a partir de agora. Assim como o carro que lhe serviu de inspiração, o conterrâneo Mercedes-Benz CLS, o então Passat CC surgiu como uma alternativa mais informal à tradicional linha de luxo da VW. A intenção é cativar a parcela dos clientes que aprecia as qualidades desses carros mas não gosta da sobriedade que lhes caracteriza. Então, assim que esse nicho foi detectado bastou deixar o bom gosto trabalhar para aliar esportividade e elegância no que seria o “traje esporte fino” dos carros: a própria denominação “cupê de quatro portas” já antecipa a dualidade de conceitos que esses carros carregam. Esta versão do Passat vem se mostrando um tiro certeiro tanto quanto o CLS, com o agravante de que sua dirigibilidade tão elogiada é um excelente par para a proposta que ele traz. Então, a VW aproveitou a época de redesenhar o carro para investir mais nesse novo conceito. As linhas mais retas que ganhou lhe dão personalidade própria, em especial quando se lembra da ditadura estilística que enfrentam os modelos mais recentes da marca. O CC ficou ainda mais elegante porque abandonou a esportividade explicitada por spoilers e aerofólios para apelar ao potencial de seu próprio conceito, reforçando elementos como a largura da carroceria bem maior que a altura.

Entretanto, por mais independente que este carro tenha virado na nova fase, sua relação com os Passat convencionais não se perdeu. Primeiro porque eles compartilham o projeto e são muito parecidos visualmente, mas a principal razão é que a VW realmente não tem motivo de desvencilhar este carro da linha que só perde em sofisticação para o Phaeton, mas que em seu segmento conta com muito mais carisma que aquele – eles só deixaram implícito o parentesco entre o CC e seus irmãos sedã e Variant. E como era de se esperar, este carro teve diversas melhoras de equipamentos: sua lista ganhou o sistema OPS de câmeras para exibir os arredores do carro em 360° e a nova geração do Park Assist, o famoso assistente de baliza. Todo o demais se manteve, o que vai desde itens como ar-condicionado digital, entrada sem chave e farois bi-xenônio com LEDs diurnos e um pacote de segurança que inclui seis airbags, sensor de fadiga e controle de estabilidade até toda a qualidade dos materiais usados na cabine, com acabamento impecável. O motor é o mesmo 3.6 V6 FSI de antes, com potência de 300 cv e torque de 35,6 kgfm e que usa o câmbio DSG de seis marchas com tração integral 4Motion – este carro vai de 0 a 100 km/h em 5s5 e chega à velocidade máxima de 250 km/h. Ele conta com oito opções de cor externa, duas para o painel e três para o couro Nappa. O CC começa em R$ 208.024, fora os opcionais.

Read more > Volkswagen CC

Toyota Avalon 4

After debuting its new generation at the last New York Auto Show, Avalon now receives its new price list. This means Toyota is about to start selling one of their most important vehicles of the latest times, considering the changes that were applied and the market category in which this car competes. While some competitors focus at their tradition, like Chevrolet Impala, this sedan wants to prove that it’s possible to please the wealthier families offering the luxury they’re used to have with a style that never had followed it before.

Avalon could achieve all that mentioned boldness without big limitations only because it was time to receive a whole new generation. This comes from the fact that even though the brand decides do change their style rules at some time, those updates will always take some time to be effectively seen. They can start them by releasing one new model as a symbol of what to expect from the next years, but there’s always the fact that a big automaker’s cars are always each one at a particular moment of its lifecycle. This means that some already need a new project, but others can have only a half-life face-lift and others don’t even need to change at all, and all those conditions need to be respected not only to avoid the financial losses from making big investments without the previous ones being satisfactorily recovered, but also to avoid a massive customer complaint, since they would see their cars becoming outdated in much less time than what’s expected. That’s the reason why the North-American Toyota’s showroom (to restrict this text to the market where Avalon is sold) has received Camry’s current generation one year ago while the Prius family (started in 2010) will remain unchanged for some years and Corolla will receive its new generation soon, since the current one arrived in 2009.

In fact, the biggest Toyota sedan of that market was so acclaimed that it was said it’ll be the visual inspiration for the next Corolla, planned to be revealed in 2013. This approval starts with the stylish exterior, composed of modern lines who follow Toyota’s nice idea of applying the most recent trends in car design without forgetting the typical Japanese cars’ ones. This explains why Avalon brings European ideas such as a much shorter third volume to remind the coupe rear (like Mercedes-Benz does with CLS) but also the design of the lights and air intakes, with visually aggressive cuts like most of the Eastern cars of the past few years. This “recipe” is common among the latest Honda, Hyundai, Kia or Mitsubishi cars, for example, but usually at compacts, crossover or sports cars because those categories tend to attract young customers, and because of that focus at emotional appeals. However, a family sedan, specially at the US, deals with the strong traditions built around them. Their main public are older couples, who twenty years ago used to drive Chevrolet Impala, Chrysler Concorde and Ford Taurus, therefore used to much more classical cars.

As its compatriot Honda Accord, Avalon’s previous generations actually followed those rules because of the Japanese automakers’ decision of starting North America’s operations with more neutral cars in order to achieve better sales at that first time. Today they all are much more than popular around there, but if the eighth Accord still offers a classical style, Toyota’s sedan seems to want to revolutionize this category. Sharing platform with its “richer cousin” Lexus ES, it not only has a sophisticated construction as brings lots of comfort and technology items: the interior’s wooden details come with three-zone air-conditioner, heated leather seats, GPS navigation, sunroof and the multimedia system with a 7” touchscreen at the central console. The basic Avalon had a 6,6% price reduction from the previous generation and now starts at US$ 30.990. Its trim levels will be XLE, XLE Premium, XLE Touring and Limited, but the engine options will be the V6 3.5 with 268 hp with automatic six-speed transmission and the hybrid one, an Atkinson 2.5 along with the electric engine and a 244 volt battery, to achieve the final 200 hp using a CVT transmission. With the last option and the most expensive trim level, Avalon reaches US$ 41.400.

Read more > Toyota Avalon 4

Dodge Durango

O mundo automotivo já está repleto de resumos e definições sobre a história da rápida e intensa ascensão do conceito de crossover no mercado mundial. Basicamente, o segredo desses carros consiste em aliar o máximo possível do que há de melhor em três ou quatro categorias como minivan, perua e sedã, embalar com um desenho moderno e chamativo e oferecer a receita em vários tamanhos e preços. O novo Durango mostra como esse filão mereceu até uma interpretação do outrora tradicionalíssimo mercado norte-americano.

Este carro surgiu no final da década de 1990 como a versão fechada da Dakota, picape que chegou a ser fabricada no Brasil por alguns anos. Ele chegava como um dos primeiros a já nascer um SUV, conceito que começava a entrar em moda na época mas viria a ganhar força total com o BMW X5. Sem inovações, o Durango partia da valentia off-road emprestada dos primos Jeep mas entregava o desenho típico dos carros urbanos da época, com proliferação das linhas limpas e arredondadas. Era uma fórmula parecida à dos arquirrivais Chevrolet Blazer e Ford Explorer, e trouxe boas vendas até a chegada da segunda geração. Esta chegou em 2003 mais moderna e requintada, mas o estilo virou um problema porque parecia ter perdido o rumo: assim como vários contemporâneos, ele queria parecer a evolução do anterior e ao mesmo tempo em sintonia com o resto da gama da marca, mas ainda não sabia como. E quando sua época de mudar se aproximou, a crise de 2008 pôs muitas empresas do nível do Grupo Chrysler em alerta vermelho. Essa situação só veio melhorar depois da aquisição da Fiat, porque além da injeção de dinheiro significou o começo de um futuro muito diferente do que a Chrysler de dez anos atrás preveria.

Os tempos haviam mudado, e o sucesso passava a estar em adaptar-se o quanto antes. Entre a ascensão de híbridos e elétricos e o surgimento de novas categorias, o conceito de identidade corporativa nunca esteve tão em voga. Cada marca agora formava uma espécie de clã com seus modelos, para lhes firmar atrativos mais fortes e assim fazer uma oferta mais sólida ao cliente. A princípio isso se tornou ruim para a Dodge porque significou duas perdas dolorosas: as picapes mais famosas se emanciparam formando a marca RAM, ao passo que há menos tempo o esportivo Viper se reinventou já sob as mãos da divisão esportiva SRT. Mas as vantagens começaram a vir assim que se começaram a promover novas atualizações na linha remanescente. A Dodge sempre foi o braço esportivo do grupo, então os novos tempos veriam isso se ressaltar mais do que nunca. Reeditaram ícones do passado como Challenger e Dart, cortaram os modelos de baixas vendas e modernizaram todo o resto da linha, o que inclui o modelo destas fotos. O Durango de terceira geração chegou aos EUA em 2010 com uma personalidade muito interessante, composta por volumes fortes associados a linhas suaves para passar sensação de imponência sem rebuscamentos visuais que pudessem acelerar o envelhecimento do conjunto. Mas o seu toque especial ainda é outro: com tamanho de SUV e espaço de minivan, ele se destaca por não se devotar nem ao fora-de-estrada e nem às famílias.

Também há o fato de que seu grupo tem a Jeep e a Chrysler para esses dois públicos, mas fato é que o Durango atrai por seguir o conceito de crossover sem alardeá-lo. Com isso, ao comprador ficam como agradáveis surpresas ver que por baixo deste desenho matador se têm equipamentos como tração integral e sete assentos, que se podem configurar em 22 opções diferentes. Ou seja, é um carro focado no uso urbano mas que tem todo o potencial para agradar tanto em viagens de família como em trilhas off-road sem excessos, sempre contando com a segurança de um pacote que inclui airbags frontais, laterais e de cortina, alerta de presença nos pontos cegos e sistema que controla a velocidade de acordo com a distância do carro à frente, entre outros. O Durango terá sua estreia brasileira feita neste Salão do Automóvel, mas já se sabe que o enorme pacote de itens é característica tanto da versão Crew como da Citadel, par escalado para o nosso mercado. E se você já estava começando a vê-lo como um irmão maior, mais bonito e ainda mais estiloso que o Journey, o parentesco termina de se explicitar sob o capô: aqui também se usará o famoso motor 3.6 V6 PentaStar, que gera 286 cv e tem consumo de 6,8 km/l na cidade e 9,8 km/l na estrada.

Atualização 11/01/2013: As vendas do Dodge Durango no Brasil começaram em forma oficial. A versão Crew sai por R$ 189.900 e traz seis airbags, ar-condicionado com zonas de temperatura individuais, bancos de couro, controles de tração e anticapotamento, freios com ABS e EBD, rodas de liga leve aro 18”, sistema de entretenimento multimdía com touchscreen de 6,4”, sete lugares e disco rígido de 30 GB. Já a versão Citadel começa em R$ 209.900 e soma farois de xenônio, grade dianteira cromada, rodas de 20”, outra central multimídia com tela de 10” para os passageiros dos bancos de trás, teto solar e volante com regulagens elétricas.

Read more > Dodge Durango

BMW Série 5

Como se o mercado já não estivesse lotado de opções em quase todos os setores, o mais novo combatente ingressa na acirrada disputa do nível mediano entre os sedãs de alto luxo. Longe de essa variedade ser ruim, com a nova Série 5 o Brasil retoma o acesso a um carro de qualidade reconhecida em todo o mundo, e que sempre foi objeto de desejo para nós. Num primeiro momento ele virá apenas em uma versão, mas essa estratégia já é conhecida: basta as vendas aquecerem e já vamos poder esperar um aumento da gama.

Este belo sedã aproveita o momento de alta receptividade do mercado brasileiro aos modelos de maior valor agregado para desembarcar primeiro na versão 528i, para efetivar uma estratégia que será revelada mais adiante. Os primeiros olhares dedicados ao exterior já antecipam que a BMW não quis desfazer a identidade visual entre seus modelos, mas a dela seguiu caminho diferente do da VW, por exemplo: esta criou um conceito e o aplicou em carro após carro, ao passo que a BMW primeiro notou o maior sucesso de um modelo em especial e depois resolveu estender a fórmula aos demais, numa situação parecida à da Peugeot com o 206 e da Fiat com o Grande Punto. É essa a razão de tanta semelhança do Série 5 com o Série 3, que sempre foi um dos modelos mais carismáticos da marca. Estão lá as linhas agressivas, cujos vincos fortes não pecam pelo excesso e lhe conferem agradável esportividade. A frente delegou a tarefa de chamar atenção à tradicional grade de “duplo ruim”, em vez de apostar em mais elementos que poderiam ficar visualmente pesados. Já a traseira ganha muita elegância com as lanternas em LED de formato irregular e divididas pela tampa do porta-malas – uma sacada muito boa foi também colocar a placa de licença sobre essa parte, que em conjunto com o parachoque discreto fazem essa parte parecer mais elevada.

Como era de se esperar, o interior desse carro fascina. Ele foca nas horizontais para o desenho do console central, e isso não só lhe dá ar bem criativo e diferenciado como também traz requinte, apesar de que esta parte fica por conta das diversas opções de revestimento da cabine, tanto para o couro como para os detalhes complementares – resulta um ambiente em três cores que exala bom gosto. A grande touchscreen antecipa que o Série 5 não deixou de lado os recursos tecnológicos, que aqui são capitaneados pelo BMW ConnectedDrive: este sistema é uma evolução do iDrive quanto à conectividade, porque alia todas as opções de personalização do carro de antes com portas USB, sistema de navegação, interface Bluetooth e até conexão à internet. No quesito segurança, os maiores expoentes são pneus tipo runflat, oito airbags e câmeras de estacionamento, entre outros. O nome já indica que o 528i compartilha motor com o 328i: temos um 2.0 biturbo que gera potência e torque de excelentes 245 cv e 35 kgfm, com a caixa automática Steptronic de oito marchas. Esse conjunto lhe leva de 0 a 100 km/h em 6s3, mas o consumo fica contido pelas tecnologias EfficientDynamics: há frenagem regenerativa, start/stop e o sistema Eco Pro. Um detalhe é o preço, que relata as reais intenções do 528i: os R$ 258.950 que pede lhe deixam a meio-caminho do 328i e do 335i. Não é uma indecisão maravilhosa?

Read more > BMW Série 5

SRT Viper

The sports cars fans now have new material from which to make posters. Chrysler has released new official pictures of the new generation of one of its most charismatic products. As you must’ve already seen many times, Viper will now be sold by the SRT division, but today received its price list. As always, some fans will disapprove it while others will start to write checks or raise their lottery expenses in order to park one at their garage as soon as possible. This car has already made its way as one of the modern classics.

Considering the aspects which made this car so famous, it’s easy to understand why there are many people criticizing the concept of its new generation. On the other hand, these people also have to remember that we’re at different times. Viper was known specially by its style. Its first appearance was made at 1989 as a Dodge concept-car, but taking attention for the fact that it was almost ready to be sold as a street car while anyone could think it would need a lot of changes to adapt itself. There already were the strong lines that remind of muscles, along with lights, doors and other items smoothly added to the external surface in order to maintain it’s overall organic shape. But its character was defined by a certain rusticity: the very first production Viper simply didn’t bring external door handles or even roof, being sold as a “permanent” roadster. But one very special part of this design was the enormous hood, which hides another huge feature of this car: its V10 engine was originally produced for Chrysler trucks, but became adapted to Viper and after that turned into its trademark specially due to the symbolism: offering this massive power without any kind of control systems gave it a combination of factors never achieved by any of its competitors.

However, there were some changes already at its second generation. It received a Coupe version and the roadster finally received a removable roof. The third one received a little face-lift and the fourth one came with improvements at the engine, but the time was changing. These times saw the 2008 economic crisis and lots of car companies getting closed or dangerously near that, including Chrysler, so Viper saw the biggest change at its history ever: after buying the Chrysler Group, Fiat ended Viper production two years later, but not forever. Basically, they just waited to return to financial stability and started to produce this new generation, whose first debut was made some months ago. The biggest gain was made with the decision of an entire reproject. Obviously they wouldn’t change it too much, but now Viper joins the same visual style as always with a way better technical part. If the external style can be considered as only an improvement of the original one, the interior became much more modern and comfortable, with state-of-the-art technologies in favor of safety, comfort and even some luxury – one of the nicest inside details is the entire-LCD high-definition dashboard. As the pictures show, now it’s possible to change several driving adjustments through it and even adjust the graphic part, which includes a big picture of the snake who characterizes this car.

The latest announcements of Chrysler have also brought some prices, from the US market: the initial version will cost US$ 99.390, while the GTS can be yours for US$ 122.390, making Viper a slightly cheaper car than one of its biggest competitors, Chevrolet Corvette. Both versions come with the V10 8.4 of 600 hp, always using manual transmission and rear traction… But this leads precisely to one of the discussion points among the fans. The new Viper has all of the modern safety systems, such as traction and stability controls, while none of the previous generations had ever dreamt of using. Some complain that with those changes Viper loses the rough driving which has always made it so different of the other super sports cars, even giving it the “men’s car” stereotype. But now it’s worth to repeat that sentence about the “different times”: there are increasingly strict safety rules, whose applications can only get much more intense for a car this fast. Viper is still a very-skilled-driver car, but became much more safer to everyone. It wouldn’t be worth to keep selling a car whose use would attract more and more complaints and even involvements in accidents because of the own car’s behavior. So the Fiat-Chrysler group decided to adapt the legend to the new days, and allow it to fascinate everyone for many more years.

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Audi RS5 Cabriolet

Yesterday Audi gave the sports car fans one more reason to celebrate. As if it wasn’t enough to release one more member of the famous RS line, this one is another convertible, like TT and R8’s versions, but more opulent than the first and much cheaper than the second. They already produce the RS5 coupé and the A5 Cabriolet even as S5, so it must have been only the matter of putting some pieces together to obtain this one. The fact is you’re going to read about an amazing union of style and high performance.

It’s widely known that convertibles, even the roadsters, will always have slightly worse performance than their coupé versions because of the aerodynamical differences. The air starts to flow through the windshield but right after that starts to disorder itself due to the abrupt change from the plain surface to the open interior. Their coupé variations, on the other hand, have a more harmonic design regarding these effects, which makes them achieve lower numbers of drag coefficient. Considering that this difference becomes more intense as the considered speed grows, this fact turns very important among sports cars because it can be used to divide the customers between the two options. Basically, the typical coupé buyer looks for the highest speed possible to take opportunities such as the German autobähnen or some eventual laps at race circuits in the events organized by the car’s brand. The cabriolet customers still look for a really fast car, but their main concern is elegance and style. They’re usually the kind of drivers who like to travel with the open roof and enjoy the weather and the luxury of their car. So they really don’t get too much worried about how much their car will run, but how it’ll be done.

Nevertheless, it’s really interesting to take a look on what it has besides the S5 package. Being an Audi RS brought to him larger air intakes at the front bumper and wider exhaust pipes, besides of the entire lower integrated spoilers set. An excellent change is that the wheels got different, instead of using the same model of the rest of this line, and the interior was improved, but this part will be mentioned later. The suspension got lower and more rigid, the brakes were redimensioned and now include the front ones in carbon-ceramic, the wheels are bigger at the rear axle (it uses 19” and 20”), and the roof can come in black, brown, gray and red and its electric operation can be done until when at 50 km/h, taking fifteen seconds. The pictures already show the special seats, which can come in two options of gray, the flat-bottom steering wheel some details in a material who resembles carbon fiber and the classic complete luxury and comfort equipment. The mechanical part is shared with the coupé, so this RS5 also brings the quattro traction system, S-tronic seven-speed and double-clutch transmission and the V8 4.2 engine, which generates 450 hp. All this power takes this cabriolet from zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 4s9, while the top speed doesn’t escape from the electronic limit.

Read more > Audi RS5 Cabriolet