Ward’s names 10 best engines winners

2011 Volvo S60 T6 3.0 Turbocharged Engine

The auto industry is embracing the age of electrification, and so too is the Ward’s 10 Best Engines list. Both the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle and Chevrolet Volt extended-range EV earn their way onto the 2011 list, as selected by Ward’s editors after evaluating 38 vehicles with new or significantly improved engines for the ’11 model year.

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The Passat CC Enchants The World With Its Style

Volkswagen Passat CC/CC Individual

WOLFSBURG : July 01, 2009 - International panels of design experts have chosen their winners and one Volkswagen model has made an exceptional impression: the Passat CC. Last night in Essen, Germany, Volkswagen's four-door coupé was presented with the "red dot Design Award 2009 - Best of the Best", once again highlighting Volkswagen's first-class and attractive design concept. The elegant model has also sparked excitement down under in Australia, a statement backed-up by the fact that it has recently won the "Australian International Design Award".


Last night the Aalto Theater in Essen provided the setting for a wonderful prize ceremony during which Martin Kropp, designer at Exterior Design Studio 1, accepted the "red dot Design Award" for Volkswagen. The "red dot Design Award" is one of today's most coveted awards that a designer can win for a creative product. The prize has been awarded every year since 2000.

In March, the Passat CC was awarded the prestigious "iF Product Design Award 2009" in Hanover. At the end of May the coupé also swept the board down under where it won the renowned "Australian International Design Award" in the "Automotive and Transport" category.

[Source : VOLKSWAGEN]

Mercedes-Benz Unimog is the Off-roader of the Year 2009

Mercedes Benz Unimog

STUTTGART/MUNICH : February 13, 2009 - For the fifth time in succession, the Mercedes-Benz Unimog has been voted the best off-road vehicle of the year in the "special-purpose vehicles" category by readers of the special-interest magazine OFF ROAD. The "Off-roader of the Year 2009 – Special-purpose vehicles category" award was made on the basis of a vote covering vehicles in eight categories in the December edition of this venerable Munich-based off-roader magazine. The OFF ROAD obelisk was recently presented during a ceremonial gala evening at the Munich theatre pavilion "Das Schloss". More than 44,000 readers took part in the vote between the 92 vehicles concerned. The Unimog won first place in the special-purpose category with an outstanding 42.3 % of the votes.


The categories for the readers’ vote were "Off-road vehicles", "Luxury off-road vehicles", "Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)", "Luxury SUVs", "Classics", "Pick-ups", "Special-purpose vehicles" and "Crossovers". The Unimog was clearly ahead of the field among the special-purpose vehicles – off-road capable vehicles used to carry loads and goods to remote areas, or as a platform for special-purpose bodies such as firefighting, expedition and military vehicles. Characteristic product attributes such as outstanding off-road capabilities with portal axles, and enormous torsional flexibility combined with great robustness and solidity, were particularly praised.

The all-terrain Unimog series U 3000 to U 5000, which has been produced in Wörth since autumn 2002, is ideal for difficult off-road assignments well away from the beaten track and road. Its main areas of application are with the firefighting services – especially for forest fires – disaster relief services, expedi­tions and servicing/maintenance work in areas where access is difficult. Accordingly the Unimog models U 3000, U 4000 and U 5000 ideally complement the vehicles in the U 300 to U 500 series – off-road-capable implement carriers which are mainly encountered working in the municipal services, with municipal contractors, in the construction and energy sectors, in in-company transport and in dual (road/rail) operations. The youngest addition to the Unimog family is the compact Unimog U 20, launched in 2008.
The magazine OFF-ROADhas held its Off-roader of the Year readers’ vote since 1982.

[Source : DAIMLER]

Caterham R500 – Top Gear’s Car of the Year

Caterham R500

Top Gear has named the Caterham Superlight R500 its 2008 ‘Car of the Year’. The most extreme version of the legendary Seven appeared on the popular BBC show for the first time at the beginning of December, instantly leaving a lasting impression on presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.


In the hands of Top Gear’s mystery test driver, The Stig, the R500 put in one of the most visually spectacular laps around their benchmark test circuit, Dunsfold. Free of any driver aids, the Seven slipped and slid to a lap time that disgraced cars costing over ten times as much.

Despite incredibly cold conditions, the £37K* Seven was less than a second slower than the absolute record around the ‘Top Gear lap’ and rapid enough to steal the overall fifth fastest time, previously held by the £1million Bugatti Veryon.

Top Gear : Power Lap

Position	Car	Lap Time
1	Gumpert Apollo	1.17.1
2	Ascari A10	1.17.3
3	Koenigsegg CCX	1.17.6
4	Pagani Zonda F Roadster	1.17.8
5	Caterham R500	1.17.9
6	Bugatti Veyron	1.18.3
7	Pagani Zonda F	1.18.4
8	Maserati MC12	1.18.9
9	Ferrari Enzo	1.19.0
10	Porsche 911 GT2 (997)	1.19.5 (pd)

Clarkson, who’s wife is a proud Seven owner, awarded the R500 for “achieving something that a car of its value shouldn’t be able to”, amidst competition from Nissan’s GT-R, Fiat’s 500 and the new Ford Fiesta.

Unbelievably - and testament to its brilliance - the Seven still uses Colin Chapman’s original chassis design, dating back 51 years. Caterham Cars continue to ‘add lightness’ to modern variants, pushing the performance envelope through the benefits of modern technology and advanced construction methods.

The result is a British car that persistently offers arguably one of the purest driving experiences.

The nimble R500 exploits its featherweight, 506kg chassis to its full potential when combined with a 2.0 Ford Duratec engine, tuned by Caterham Powertrain (CPT) to achieve 263bhp. The resulting 520bhp-per-tonne beats that of the Veyron and is capable of propelling the two-seater from 0-60mph in a staggering 2.88 seconds.

Caterham Superlight R500 Technical Specification

• Engine : 2.0-litre Caterham Powertrain (CPT) Ford Duratec
  
• Max Power : 263bhp @ 8500rpm
  
• Max Torque : 177 lbsft @ 7200rpm
  
• 0-60mph (claimed) : 2.88 seconds
  
• Top Speed : 150mph
  
• Wheelbase : 2225mm.
  
• Overall length : 3100mm.
  
• Overall width : 1575mm.
  
• Height : 800mm.
  
• Ground clearance : 80mm.
  
• Kerb Weight : 506kg (516kg sequential gearbox)

Standard Equipment

• 2.0-litre Caterham Motorsport Ford Duratec
  
• 6 Speed Caterham Gearbox
  
• Limited Slip Differential
  
• Superlight Suspension (wide track front and de Dion rear with Watts linkages)
  
• Carbon dash, nose cone, rear and front cycle wings
  
• ACES change-up lights
  
• Ventilated front brake discs with 4 pot calipers
  
• 13" Anthracite eight-spoke alloy wheels with Avon CR500 tyres
  
• Carbon interchangeable wind deflector
  
• 4 point Road Harnesses
  
• Quick-release Momo Steering Wheel with integrated indicator switches
  
• Carbon Kevlar seats

Optional Performance Upgrades

• Sequential Gearbox - £2950
  
• Launch Control - £350
  
• Carbon Induction Airbox - £450
  
• Suspension package consisting Eibach - Springs and dampers derived from the C400 race series - £1250

Caterham R500

[Source : NewsPress]

Audi Q5 voted best off-roader

The New Audi Q5

• "TOPautos 2009" honored by mid automotive news service
  
• Audi Q5 impresses all with its off-road capability

INGOLSTADT : Dec. 10, 2008 - The “TOPautos 2009” have been selected by more than 150 renowned independent motor journalists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The new Audi Q5 ranks as top off-roader among the best new vehicle releases of the model year 2009.


Jörg Felske, Head of Sales Germany at AUDI AG, accepted the award in Ingolstadt. “The Audi Q5 is a performance SUV that combines the dynamics of a sports sedan with a highly versatile interior – ideal for family and leisure,” was his description of the winner in the off-road segment. With a choice of three powerful and efficient engines, quattro permanent all-wheel drive and agile suspension, the Audi Q5 offers a superior technology package for on- and off-road.

This was the fourth year that the Motor-Informations-Dienst (mid) has awarded this prize. As in previous years, more than 150 motor journalists from daily newspapers, journals and internet portals took part in the vote. This makes “TOPauto” the car and innovation award with the largest expert jury in Germany.

There were a total of 80 newcomers to choose from in the categories “Business”, “City”, “Concept Car”, “Family”, “Fun”, “Luxury”, “Innovation” and “Off-road”. The mid has put together an exclusive card game including the four best-placed vehicles in each of the eight categories, where each card features a photo and the technical data of one of these vehicles.

Image gallery : New Audi Q5

Official : Audi Q5 unveiled in China








Official : Audi Q5













Official : Technical





[Source : AUDI]