Month: June 2023 (Page 1 of 2)

The Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid has been updated for 2020. The new model, available as both four-door and estate-bodied sport Turismo variants, mixes a 196mph top speed and a 31-mile all electric range. 
Performance is boosted by revisions to the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, with power climbing 21bhp to 563bhp. combined with an electric motor which produces the same 136bhp as the previous model, the Turbo S E-Hybrid now tops out at 690bhp.

New Porsche Panamera 4S E-Hybrid 2020 review

The extra power not only ups the top speed by 3mph, but improves acceleration, too: the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid covers the 0-62mph time in 3.2 seconds – 0.2 seconds quicker than its predecessor.
Advertisement – post continues below

The electric element is upgraded with a larger battery, which increases the total capacity from 14.1kWh to 17.9kWh. along with some software tweaks, it results in the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid’s EV range boosting to 31 miles – 30 percent a lot more than before.
4

Below the top Turbo S E-Hybrid sits a revised Panamera 4 E-Hybrid. This features the same upgraded battery tech, and pairs it with a 326bhp twin turbo V6 petrol engine, for a 456bhp total. The result is a 4.4-second 0-62mph sprint and a 174mph top speed. based on official WLTP data, the E-Hybrid manages 35 miles of zero-emission range between charges.
The newly revised pair sit either side of the existing Panamera 4S E-Hybrid revealed back in August, which uses 552bhp. The 4S made its debut alongside revisions to the Panamera’s chassis, equipment, infotainment system and exterior design.
Away from the hybrid models, the Panamera 4S has also been revised. Power comes from a 434bhp 2.9-litre V6 twin-turbo, and it achieves a 0-62mph time of 4.1 seconds and a 183mph top speed.
The Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is available to buy now, priced from £140,130 for the standard car and £142,280 for the sport Turismo. The entry level 4 E-Hybrid costs £83,720, or £85,870 in sport Turismo form. The non-hybrid 4 S, in four door and sport Turismo layouts, costs £92,440 and sport Turismo £96,130 respectively.
Click here for our list of the best performance cars on sale…

It hasn’t been on sale all that long, but the newly turbocharged Porsche 911 range is about to be updated for the 2017 model year. The upgrades will bring a lot more connectivity features, new colour options and the availability of a 30bhp power improve for some variants. 
Available through ‘Porsche Exclusive’, the power upgrade kit is being used on the 911 Carrera S, Carrera 4S and Targa 4S. It adds 30bhp – upping total output to 444bhp – thanks to larger turbochargers, and includes the sports Chrono pack with dynamic engine mounts, a sports exhaust and modified brake cooling.
The pack, which costs from €10,139 Euros (around £8,800), brings the power of the Carrera S up to 444bhp – or the same as the new 911 GTS. From June 2017, the power improve can be retrofitted to models which already have the sport Chrono pack – pricing for the retrofit is yet to be announced. 
Advertisement – post continues below

Elsewhere, Porsche has also expanded its ‘Porsche Connect’ smartphone connectivity system with a new connect plus option that adds an integrated SIM card. It indicates a flat data rate can be charged for navigation and infotainment services, while later in the year music streaming and a WiFi hotspot will also feature. 
New colour choices are available inside and out, too, with a highlight being the new four-coat Saffron Yellow finish. Porsche is yet to confirm UK prices for its range of updates, but did say a “price adjustment” of between 0.9 and 2.0 per cent is expected. 
Is £8,800 for a 30bhp power improve a good deal 911 fans? let us know in the comments section…

Jaguar Land Rover has announced a huge £1.5bn investment in its UK operations to fund the creation of an onslaught of new models over the coming years.
And the company intends to employ an additional 1,700 staff at its Solihull site to cope with the expansion, taking the number of UK manufacturing jobs announced by Jaguar Land Rover over the last three years to close to 11,000.
Advertisement – post continues below

The firm’s ambitious plans include the launch of a compact executive model to rival the BMW 3 series and a production version of the C-X17 SUV concept unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show – but that will just be the start.
Jaguar Land Rover has developed an all-new lightweight aluminium architecture that is modular and scalable, giving it a platform from which to efficiently and economically develop a range of new models. So you can expect to see both brands rapidly expand their ranges to match German rivals like Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Dr. Ralf Speth said: “Today’s announcement signals Jaguar Land Rover’s ambitions to push the boundaries and redefine premium car ownership.
“At Jaguar Land Rover we place the customer at the heart of everything we do and the introduction of a world class all-new aluminium automobile architecture indicates we will be a lot more competitive, flexible and efficient delivering exciting new products for our customers around the world.”
The Jaguar 3 series rival will be the first model built using the new platform, and the firm is promising it will be the most efficient and advanced car in the compact executive class.
It will also be the first Jaguar Land Rover automobile to feature an engine built at the firm’s new £500m engine manufacturing centre.

This is the new Volkswagen California beach 6.1 campervan. It’s based on the recently updated Transporter and will follow the new Caddy California into the showroom later this month, sporting a similar range of outdoorsy accessories. prices start from £52,062 excluding VAT – and first deliveries are expected to arrive in March 2021.
Advertisement – post continues below

Full specifications for the new California beach 6.1 have not been confirmed, although Volkswagen has announced that buyers will be used a choice of two versions, called excursion and Camper. 

Best Volkswagen campervan conversions

Standard equipment for the will include 17-inch alloy wheels, a manual pop-up roof, interior seating for five, a DAB radio and a camping table with two folding chairs. Both variants will also come with a pair of revolving front seats and a ‘rock-and-roll’ rear bench seat that folds flat into a bed.
In addition to this, the excursion model will feature a pair of sliding rear doors and the option to spec seating for either six or seven. 
The Camper variant is targeted, rather unsurprisingly, at avid campers – and so comes with a single gas hob and a pull-out awning.
The California 6.1 range will be powered by the Volkswagen Group’s familiar turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, which has an output of 148bhp and 340Nm of torque. like the panel van variant, the unit will send drive to the front wheels by means of a seven speed automatic gearbox.
Further details including a lot more thorough specifications, options and prices will be announced later this month.
What do you make of the new Volkswagen California 6.1? let us know in the comments section below…

The government is proposing a new set of rules for young drivers, in an attempt to enhance road security as well as assist cut insurance coverage premiums.
Among the new rules is a minimum discovering period for drivers before they are permitted to sit their test, which is expected to be around one year. This means that drivers will have to wait up until they’re 18 before being a completely qualified driver.
Advertisement – article continues below

However, one more concept currently being thought about by ministers is to decrease the age at which people can begin to discover to 16 or 16 as well as six months, with the minimum discovering period taking them to 17 or 17 as well as a half.
During the discovering process, the government likewise wants drivers to take lessons on motorways, during adverse weather condition conditions as well as even when it’s dark for more genuine world learning.
The actual driving test might likewise be provided a revamp to make it more extensive as well as much better prepare learners to drive on their own.
Once a driver has passed their test, the government wishes to prolong the probationary period of drivers having their licences revoked if they get six or more points from two to three years.
Finally, young drivers will be offered incentives, in the type of insurance coverage discounts, to take extra training after they’ve passed.
With 17-24 year olds included in 25 per cent of death as well as serious injuries on the roads, ministers are hoping the modifications might assist reduce this number. on the other hand the typical annual insurance coverage premium for an 18 year old is currently £1,853.
Do you believe drivers should have to wait up until they are 18 before being completely qualified? Or should people be enabled to begin discovering at 16? let us understand in the comments below.

The Renault Twin’Run concept, a car developed to be a spiritual successor to the R5 Turbo and Clio V6, has been unveiled at the Monaco Grand Prix circuit. (Click to Tweet)
Sharing the same funky city car styling cues as the Twin’Z electric car concept that was revealed in April, the Twin’Run is a very different propostion. rather than an environmentally friendly set of batteries, it is packing a mid-mounted 316bhp V6 petrol engine and a raft of motorsport technology that is developed as a hint towards the next-generation Twingo RS.
Advertisement – short article continues below

That engine – which is still used in the Laguna and Espace in de-tuned form in Europe – drives the rear wheels and combines with a tubular steel chassis borrowed from the Megane Trophy racer and lightweight fibre glass bodywork for a kerbweight of just 950kgs. All that implies the Twin’Run can accelerate from 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds and go on to reach a top speed of 155mph.
The major mechanicals for the concept are all taken straight from the world of racing, with a six-speed sequential gearbox, rally-style welded handbrake lever, huge brakes and a limited-slip differential at the back to improve cornering balance. It also sits on huge 18-inch alloy wheels that are pushed best to the each corner of this compact car.

If volume dictated matters, the undisputed star of this year’s Detroit motor show was the new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.
In front of a rapturous crowd of patriotic media, market types as well as portly rednecks, the new-for-2013 C7 was revealed in a building the size of Belgium next to one of the lots of post-apocalyptic areas of Detroit that skirt its city centre.
Advertisement – post continues below

To these eyes it appeared like a lot more of the same, however they liked it as well as expressed their interest in that a lot of American of methods – hollering as well as whooping as well as wanting to get their photo taken next to it. It was extremely Detroit.
But across town on the exact same evening was an event of a lot more workable proportions however of far higher relevance to us in the UK, as well as the market as a whole.
The Volkswagen group reception served as a event celebration of a record year in 2012. Startling figures were trotted out in a matter of truth style by the bosses of VW, Audi as well as Porsche as well as need to have sounded extremely ominous undoubtedly for other manufacturers.
9.1million sales around the world in 2012 (behind only Toyota as well as GM). VW up 35 per cent in the US. Audi targeting 1.5million globally a year by 2015, up from 1.45m at present, as well as meaning to overtake BMW as the greatest premium brand by 2020. Porsche sales up 18.7 per cent last year worldwide.
Once a bit-part player in the US, VW’s multi-billion dollar investment in north america is paying off handsomely. Yet one more new factory opened this week – in Silao, Mexico – as well as the juggernaut shows no indication of slowing down.
Strategic targeting of the us market is making it stronger as well as stronger across the world. however amid all the fanfare, one concern of mine VW CEO Martin Winterkorn didn’t want to response directly was what all this indicated for rivals.
In Europe, in particular, a number of makers are having a hard time terribly as a lot of of the VW group brands go from stamina from strength. Excess production as well as prospective closure of factories are a genuine problem.
But as his final statement of a triumphant night, Winterkorn deadpanned: “What competitors are doing with overcapacity I don’t know. however we are not cutting back.”

So it’s full heavy steam ahead, then. On a night when America loudly hailed one of its own automotive heroes, I can’t assist feeling that this – as well as not the Corvette’s coronation as king of Detroit 2013 – will be a lot more considerable in the long run.

finally – some solid, independent and functional specialist evidence for individuals and companies wondering whether to get or lease diesel cars.
In short, the unbiased testimony goes like this: in real-world conditions, some mid-sized to large diesel cars are, all things considered (including the hated NOx emissions), still among the cleanest, a lot of fuel-efficient and least environmentally-hostile automobiles around. They’re at least as green as equivalent petrol models.
Advertisement – post continues below

• the best low emissions green cars
Therefore motorists can, with a clear conscience, purchase and use them – even a few ‘monsters’ that have 3.0 or 4.0-litre engines plus four-wheel drive. who says? Nick Molden, CEO of Emissions Analytics.
This is a firm that monitors and analyses real-world emissions from vehicles. It’s not working on behalf of the ecomental industry, the State, society of motor makers and Traders or other elements of the car establishment which – led by a “cheating” Volkswagen – has often issued bum steers on the efficiency and cleanliness of diesels.
Molden has no axe to grind. He occupies small but crucial neutral ground on the fringe of the industry and admits he’d “absolutely” get a diesel car. This unapologetic endorsement is hugely significant – not least because he commands the attention of politicians, civil servants and others who have occasionally seemed hell bent on restricting, fining or banning such humble family vehicles.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan recently alleged the capital’s air is “lethal”. Thankfully, Molden is now encouraging and educating Khan on the truth about such vehicles. The Mayor has been handed the irrefutable proof  that some of them are so damn squeaky clean, green and lean that they’ve earned top scores in Molden’s genuinely unbiased EQUA Index.
These A-rated diesels are 1.6-litre versions of the VW Passat (2016) and Touran (’16); the 2.0 Audi A5 (’14) and Q2 (’16); BMW 3 series (’13); Mercedes E-Class (’16); tiny (’15); SEAT Alhambra (’15); Skoda superb (’16); plus VW Golf SV (’15); Scirocco (’15); and Tiguan AWD (’16); the 3.0 BMW 5 series (’16); and the 4.0 Porsche Panamera AWD (’16).
How can the Mayor and other politicians justify restricting such fine diesel cars? They’re independently rated as being among the most efficient and environmentally sound automobiles on our roads. Period.

What do you think of Mike’s view? let us know in the comments below…

Zero emissions makes the Tesla design 3 a excellent compact executive saloon, as we’ve already seen, however Tesla started life making EVs – as well as after an preliminary foray with a sports car, excellent EVs at that.
Now with three designs on sale as well as a number of future cars and trucks that it’s continually teasing to titillate its share cost as well as excite prospective new clients alike, the us tech business as well as its star owner, Elon Musk, may be divisive, however there is no rejecting the engineering in its products makes them excellent electric vehicles. Which is why, for the second year running, the design 3 is our preferred premium EV.

Tesla design 3 review

Tesla stole a march on the huge German three – Audi, BMW as well as Mercedes – as well as required its premium rivals to play catch-up. Yet we still haven’t seen a product from any type of of these brands that betters Tesla’s efforts.
Advertisement – short article continues below

Part of the reason for that is since electric cars and trucks depend massively on infrastructure. It’s a delicate topic that’s intertwined with politics, however Tesla has bypassed a great deal of this by continuing to set up much more of its Supercharger points across the UK as well as the rest of the world.
8

With fast recharge ability of as much as 250kW, which can add variety at as much as 500 miles per hour of charging at its top rate, no other premium electric cars and truck can get close to our champion – unless it’s one more Tesla.