Audi Sport has released a shadowy teaser of six upcoming RS performance models, which could possibly debut at the 2019 Frankfurt auto show. Based on what we’re seeing in this shot, there’s a wide variety of models coming.
Recently, we found out during the media launch of the 2019 Audi Q3 that we won’t get the coupe-like Sportback variant or the potent RS Q3, which are the third and fourth vehicle from the left. That’s two down, but what about the rest? The rightmost vehicle is the RS Q8, which is the most likely to come to North America thanks to our insatiable SUV cravings. One other very likely candidate is the second vehicle from the left, which is clearly the RS 7. We’ve had that model since its inception, and the new one is likely to return packing the same 563-hp 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 with a 48-volt mild hybrid system as the recently revealed [...]
The Mini John Cooper Works Clubman gets a new 301-hp engine for 2020—and a boost in price, too. After driving the updated JCW Clubman on the outskirts of Frankfurt we found the car was eager to take twisty roads and happy to drive at high speeds in the autobahn. But at $40,000, the JCW Clubman has a hard price to justify.
So, besides that powerful engine, what else does the 2020 Clubman in JCW form get you? Let’s have a look.
Standard All-Wheel DriveAll JCW Clubmans get a 2.0-liter engine mated to an eight-speed automatic that sends power to the front and rear wheels. The manual is gone for this year and there are no front-drive models, though this AWD system is front-drive biased and can split the torque 50:50 depending on the road conditions.
Bigger BrakesMore power means better brakes. At least in Mini language. The JCW Clubman gets upgraded brakes that, [...]
The Nissan Versa has been known for its good value, decent interior space, cargo room, and…that’s it. The Versa didn’t really bring anything interesting to the table, but things are changing with the 2020 Nissan Versa, which is getting a good-looking design, more interior space, and lots of safety technologies. What that means is that its price isn’t that cheap anymore, as the new Versa starts at $15,625—a big increase from the 2019 model, which went for $13,355.
The 2020 Nissan Versa continues to be available in three different trims—S, SV, and SR. All of them come with the same 1.6-liter engine as before, except this time it produces 122 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 13 hp and 7 lb-ft over the outgoing model. The five-speed manual is the standard transmission for the S trim, while SV and SR trims get the CVT transmission. Should you opt for the CVT in [...]
Back in 1999 a new Pagani Zonda C12 cost about $325,000. Today a used C12 is probably worth $3.25 million. Now, if you’d sensibly stuck that $325,000 into a Dow Jones tracker fund in 1999 instead of recklessly splurging it on a hand-made 200 mph Italian hypercar, and reinvested the annual returns, you’d be sitting on… oh… about a million bucks right now.
Wanna beat the market? Buy a Pagani.
Read our Pagani Huayra Roadster BC First Ride review right here!
Painstakingly hand-crafted in tiny numbers, Paganis are more like works of art than mere automobiles, and that’s reflected in their resale values. One owner of a Zonda C12 S, who paid about $350,000 for the car when it launched in 2002, recently turned down an offer of about $4.5 million.
Even Horacio Pagani can’t cut much of a deal: He had to pay $4.5 million to buy [...]
Compact luxury crossovers are a hot segment, and introducing a new one with four rings on the grille should be a passport to success. Add Audi’s access to VW Group’s modular architecture for the 2019 Q3, and the underpinnings for success are seemingly in place.
Audi got into the compact SUV game in 2011 in Europe, but it took until 2014 to convince German decision-makers to give the U.S. a version. The time has finally come for a second generation for the Q3, which moves to the global MQB modular platform that underpins VW Group front-drive vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and brands. And this time around, North America waits months, not years, to get its version of the Q3.
MotorTrend traveled to Europe last fall for a first spin behind the wheel of the Euro-spec Q3, and now, in the pastoral areas outside Nashville, we finally get to drive the U.S.-spec compact crossover, which [...]
