Audi Q5

This article is only available in french. La catégorie des VUS compact de luxe est en plein effervescence. Les BMW X3 et Land Rover Freelander ont fait cavalier seul pendant quelques dans ce segment, mais l’arrivée récente de véhicules comme l’Acura RDX et l’Infiniti EX est venue changer les choses. Sous peu, Volvo introduira aussi son deuxième utilitaire sport, le XC60. Et voilà qu’Audi vient tout juste de dévoiler officiellement son nouveau joueur dans ce segment, le Q5.D’abord lancé en Europe, le Q5 sera offert là-bas avec un choix de trois motorisations. Deux d’entre-elles seront des diesel, tandis que l’autre, à essence, nous sera le seul destiné. Il s’agit d’un V6 de 3,2 litres FSI développant 265 chevaux et 243 lb-pi de couple. Ce moteur sera accompagné d’une boîte automatique Tiptronic à changement rapide ainsi que du système de traction intégrale Quattro à prise permanente. Notons que ce système permet d’offrir jusqu’à 85% du couple aux roues arrière, mais aussi jusqu’à 65% vers l’avant.

Avec le Q5, Audi n’entend pas offrir un véhicule d’entrée de gamme. Le niveau de luxe et de caractéristiques de série promet donc d’être relevé, comme en fait foi le communiqué de presse. On parle ici d’un système d’accès et de démarrage sans clé, de la climatisation automatique à trois zones, de la sellerie de cuir avec assise chauffante et d’une chaîne audio à huit haut-parleurs. Le Q5 sera aussi le premier véhicule à adopter la troisième évolution du système d’interface MMI.

Bien sûr, le prix du Q5 n’a pas encore été dévoilé. Le véhicule devrait fait son apparition en Amérique du Nord d’ici environ un an.

BMW 5 Series: A magnificent rendition

The BMW 5 Series needs no introduction. This 2008 550i may be the best car I have ever driven. It is not the fastest car. It is not the most exciting car. It is not the most expensive car. It is just an extremely competent rendition of what we traditionally refer to as a car.

The 550i can carry four adults with some luggage, has an engine in the front with an automatic transmission, has traditional proportions, is of average size and from afar, doesn’t look like anything special. If you compare the BMW 550i to its bread-and-butter equivalents, like the Toyota Camry or Ford Taurus (which represent what the classic definition of a modern car is), the 550i is magnificent.

Sure, there is the BMW 750i, but it is a luxury land-yacht, and something else all together. The 550i is not over the top in any one way: it is just very good at everything you could ask a car to be.

Now, we wonder why everyone isn’t already driving this premium German sedan. Well, the answer is simple: $86,200. What you get for your money is a 5 with recently revised styling, a 4.8-litre V8 driving the rear wheels, a six-speed automatic and a slew of techno gadgets that are actually useful. As a bonus, the M trim package (derived from BMW’s high performance M cars) is a no-charge option on the 550i.

Some may say they can get a Chrysler 300C with nearly as much power and nearly as many options as the 550i for half the price. Those who say that don’t have the money (not that I do), and are only guessing what the 550i is like.

When you get into the driver’s seat, it feels like something different. The seat is a little on the stiff side, but once adjusted, fits like it was moulded around you. The M steering wheel is oddly satisfying to hold in your hands. There are no cheap bits anywhere in the interior, and its design is almost more like furniture than that of a functioning automobile.

The controls and ergonomics are a highly discussed subject — a result of BMW’s iDrive. If it is your fist time with it, you will get frustrated. I have used it in a few BMWs now, and find it easy. So if you are buying the car, don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.

As long as the key fob is inside the car, the engine will spring to life with a quick jab of the start button. It idles quietly, and gives no impression that it makes 360 hp and 360 lb.-ft. of torque. Moving, or rather selecting, the transmission into drive is done by pressing a button and pulling back on this joystick-like thing; reverse is the opposite, and park is a button on top.

As soon as you make a few turns in the parking lot, turn onto the road and give it a little throttle to see what happens, its price tag is immediately justified. You are quietly and quickly pushed down the road and when you reach a speed that feels like the speed limit, you are in fact doing 30 km/h over. It gains speed subtly, yet with vigour.

There is just the right amount of engine noise and vibration to let you know what’s going on. With the throttle down, on anything other than a straight-ahead drag-style launch, the traction control light blinks at you constantly.

My tester had $7,300 in options including comfort seats, heated rear seats, park distance control, seven-channel audio system, lane departure warning system, head-up display, voice control and navigation system.

The lane departure warning system is interesting. Instead of beeping at you as some similar systems do, the steering wheel rumbles slightly to let you know you might be drifting in your lane. The head-up display is pretty cool as it displays your speed in orange digits that appear to be floating about three inches off the hood. The Bluetooth cellphone connectivity is super easy to use, and makes chatting while you drive a pleasure.

There is nothing specific that jumps out as being fantastic with the 550i. Its defining feature is a strong overall sense of competence and poise. When you drive at more than 100 km, sit in construction, have a meeting on the fly, battle traffic and enjoy doing it, you will understand what $86K can buy you.

Fact File

2008 BMW 550i

As tested, before tax: $86,200

Options: Premium Package ($3,300) includes comfort seats, heated rear seats, park distance control, logic 7 sound system; Technology Package ($4,000) includes lane departure warning system, navigation, head-up display, voice control ($4,000).

Freight: $1,995

Configuration: Front-engine, RWD

Engine/transmission: 4.8L V8 / 6-speed automatic with sequential shift

Horsepower: 360 @ 6,300 rpm

Torque: 360 lb.-ft. @ 3,400

Fuel required: 70 litres, premium

EnerGuide fuel ratings (L/100km): 13.3 city. 8.3 hwy

Observed fuel economy (L/100km): 12.2 combined

Warranty: 4 years / 80,000 km

MSRP range: $59,900 - $113,200

Engines available: 3.0L I6 (230 hp, 200 lb.-ft.); 3.0L twin-turbo I6 (300/300) 4.8L V8 (360/360); 5.0L V10 (500/383)

Transmissions available: 6-speed manual; 6-spd auto with sequential shift; 7-spd auto with sequential shift

Competition: Mercedes-Benz E550, Audi A6 4.2, Infiniti M45, Lexus GS430

Strengths: Such poise, great power, engaging drive

Weaknesses: May hurt retirement fund

Car of the Month: Porsche 911 Turbo & BMW M6

Cette Porsche est définitivement la voiture la plus rapide que nous n’avons jamais mit l’œil dessus. Avec 620 bhp distribués aux quatre roues, l’accélération est comparable à la plus part des motos super-sports. La M6 n’est pas rien non plus, elle est probablement la deuxième voiture la plus rapide que nous avons publiée. Ces deux voitures se complimentent bien les unes envers l’autre, elles étaient d’ailleurs exposé au kiosque Toyz Autoart au SCP8.

2007 Porsche 911 Turbo

• EXTERIOR

Full Techart body kit including front lip, side skirts and rear lip, Techart mirror covers & headlight covers, smoked taillights, Techart roof spoiler.

• INTERIOR

Chocloate brown interior.

• WHEELS & TIRES

Machined lip 20″ Techart Forumula wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 245-30-20 in front and 325-25-20 rear.

• SUSPENSION ET BRAKES

Techart coilovers.

• UNDER THE HOOD

Techart exhaust, Techart headers Techart ecu, Techart intercooler, Techart air inlet, VGT turbo variable geometry, 610hp feels like 680hp.

• ICE

Stock.

2007 BMW M6 Cabriolet

• EXTERIOR

Toyz Autoart smoked taillights.

• INTERIOR

Stock.

• WHEELS & TIRES

22″ Davin Speed 3 wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero Nero 265-30-22 in the front and 295-25-22 in the rear.

• SUSPENSION ET BRAKES

H7R coilovers.

• UNDER THE HOOD

Eisenmann exhaust with rear carbon tips, second cat delete, Active Autowerks ECU reflash, Top speed limiter removed, SMG shifts.

• ICE

Stock.Voir la discussion pour cette article

Voir la gallérie

Nous voulons des voitures coupé-sport

You wonder sometimes about car manufacturers. Occasionally vehicles are released that just make one stop and say “what are they thinking?” Cars like the Cadillac Cimmaron and Pontiac Aztec are perfect examples of total failure at the corporate level. Sometimes the car companies do not make actual blunders but still leave you wondering what’s going on behind the scenes. Sports car enthusiasts often seem to get the short end of the stick and are left shaking their heads.

For years BMW had a virtual monopoly on the luxury sport coupe segment with the 3-series. Their coupes are well made, sporty and just plain good looking. Then in 2004, Nissan shocked the industry with the release of the beautiful Nissan 350Z and Infiniti G35 coupe. The duo stole the heart of just about every car enthusiast I know. Often I’ve heard people say that (supercars aside) the G35 coupe is the most beautiful car on the road today. I have to say I’d be hard pressed to disagree with that statement. Nissan hit the nail on the head and gave us enthusiasts exactly what we wanted: unbelievable value in a modestly-priced luxury sports car. BMW had little reason to be worried though as their clients stand by the BMW brand like no other but for those who didn’t have their heart set yet, the new duo provided a nice alternative.

The 350Z and G35 coupe reinvigorated Nissan to a certain level of status it hadn’t known since the original Z. I’d have expected a few of the other manufacturers to follow suit but sadly those expectations have not been met. There have been many rumours of a Lexus IS coupe and even some fancy photoshops but where the heck is it? Acura has no plans to bring back the CL luxury coupe that it discontinued in 2003. Mercedes has the C230 Sport coupe but I’d have a hard time classifying it as a sports car. The message conveyed to the auto industry should have been that we want more vehicles like the 350Z and G35 coupe. Why aren’t they listening??

Why did a vehicle like the Acura CL fail when obviously there was a huge demand for this class of car? In my opinion, a sport coupe should be smaller and sleeker. The CL reminded me of a 2nd generation TL minus the rear doors coupled with a bubbly rear end. If I’m buying a coupe, practically isn’t the first thing on my mind. Curiously though the Accord coupe does fairly well and it seems as big and bulky as the CL was. Perhaps the market for entry level coupes differs somewhat form luxury sport coupes but Honda could benefit from following Nissan’s lead in this segment. Since you shouldn’t mess with success, keeping the Accord coupe around its probably wise but the more gutsy move of bringing back the Prelude and CL with newer sleeker designs to compete with the 350Z and G35 would be quite popular among enthusiasts.

As I mentioned before, we are still waiting for an IS coupe to make an appearance. The current IS is sexy enough that it would probably be considered by many would-be coupe buyers except for the fact that Lexus seems to have a love for automatic transmissions. The only model available with a manual transmission is the IS250 RWD. That means that if you want AWD you’re out of luck. If you want an engine that can actually give other cars in the segment a run for their money you are also out of luck. Thank you Lexus for overlooking the enthusiast crowd, most of whom driving an automatic or “tiptronic” vehicle just doesn’t cut it. If BMW can offer a manual AWD vehicle then Lexus can as well. Until then, scratch them off the list of real performance contenders.

GM’s Cadillac CTS-V is also a potential competitor here. Available in 2.8L and 3.6L V6s or the 6L V8 (CTS-V), it offers a descent choice of engines and unlike the Lexus a manual transmission is available on all models. Unfortunately for enthusiasts though, the CTS-V (the one we really want) starts at $71,000. That is roughly $20,000 more than a BMW 335! GM needs to do a little better on that price but other than the CTS is an option to consider.

For now it seems the Germans still have the edge in luxury performance. Hopefully in a few years we’ll start to see a real push from other manufacturers to compete in this prestigious segment.

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Hybrid Cars

It has been almost twenty years since the Environment has been as important in the minds of North Americans as it is today. For many months now we’ve seen consistent and numerous news headlines regarding global warming. I think this is a good thing as it seems the planet is finally taking the subject seriously. I consider myself an environmentally conscious person and I always make the extra effort to recycle and conserve energy as much as possible. I just attended “Less Talk, More Action” the climate change conference that was held in downtown Montreal with speakers including Al Gore and David Suzuki and I fully support what they are trying to accomplish.

We hear of automakers are releasing more and more Hybrid models to accommodate the increasing demand to go green. I called a local Toyota dealership the other day and asked them how long the waiting list is for a Prius Hybrid. To my surprise the salesman told me about a week. I then called Honda to find out how long it would take to get a Civic Hybrid. Again, to my surprise, the wait was no more than two weeks.

So if these are all good things then why am I consistently frustrated after reading articles on Hybrid cars? While it may seem like the time of the Hybrid car is here I’m afraid I’m going to have to take exception to that argument.

I’m presently shopping for a late model vehicle as a second car and I’d absolutely love to get a Hybrid. I need something primarily get to car shows with the MontrealRacing.com kiosk stuffed in the back. A wagon or SUV would get the job done so what options do I have? I’m sorry to say not very many. At the time of this writing, a search on Hebdo found one Lexus RX400h for $53,000 and several Toyota Highlander Hybrids ranging from $35,000 to $55,000. Not exactly the best selection, especially since I was never crazy about the Highlander so let’s alter the search criteria. In fact, let’s get rid of the criteria altogether and assume I want to buy a new vehicle and I don’t care how much it costs. What can I get?

How about a BMW? No. Volkswagen? No. Mazda? Nothing. Chrysler? Same. Nissan must have a hybrid. Nope. In fact, the only automakers offering Hybrid vehicles in their showrooms at the moment are Honda (Civic, Accord), Toyota/Lexus (Prius, Camry, Highlander, GS450h, Rx400h) and Ford (Escape).

What about GM with the Saturn Vue Green Line and those Hybrid pickups? These vehicles managed to get hybrid classification but I cannot in good conscience call them hybrids. They are more like half-hybrids or hybrid wannabes. Their electric motors cannot drive the car like in a real hybrid. They only serve to shut off the motor when you are not pressing on the gas. The emissions are only reduced because less gas is consumed. How much less gas? The Silverado 4WD gets 14.3/11.3 L/100km. The non hybrid gets 17.0/13.1 L/100km. Yes, you read it correctly, a whopping savings of 2.7L/100km for city driving. That is truly pathetic when compared to the competition.

North America’s first Hybrid, the Honda Insight, was introduced way back in 1999 (production stopped last year.) In all fairness to GM I should point out that the Insight is also a half-hybrid but its 1L motor gets the best fuel economy out of any hybrid even today. I would have thought that other manufacturers would have been able to keep a similar pace but that has not been the case. GM attributes the delay to pursuing hydrogen technology first because it thought hybrids would only be a stepping stone toward the zero-emission hydrogen vehicles. Mercedes and VW are bringing more fuel efficient diesel powered cars to our shores as their answer to the green craze. The whole process is painstakingly slow. I don’t want to seem like a conspiracy nut or anything but I do suspect meddling from the oil industry. As long as there is gas to be refined I don’t think we will be seeing any viable alternatives that truly become mainstream. Hopefully I will be proved wrong.

With a selection of only eight Hybrid models being sold at thousands more than their non hybrid counterparts, it feels like we are being penalized for wanting to go green. When hybrids are being sold cheaper than regular cars and the pre-owned market has an ample supply of them, then I might say there is no reason not to own one and frown upon someone who opted for a gasoline model instead. Blame the manufacturers for dragging their feet on fuel efficiency.

On a side note, you may have read reports on former US Vice President Al Gore’s energy consumption at his Tennessee mansion. Gore’s home consumes more energy in a month then the average American household does in a year. The report was conveniently made public the day after Gore received an Oscar for his global warming documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”. Obviously the right wing neoconservatives do not like Gore’s recent surge in popularity. One can logically assume that the bigger the household, the more energy it will likely consume. Do they expect Gore (who came 527 votes away from being the leader of the free world) to move to a $150,000 condo? I sure don’t. Gore offsets his consumption by donating to a company which uses the money to invest in alternative energy anyways.

Gore’s carbon footprint is irrelevant to me. The benefits of his efforts of convincing the world of the impending doom far outweigh any cuts to his own carbon footprint might yield. In the end, the necessary changes to save the environment can only come from big business, not the individual consumer. This doesn’t mean being environmentally conscious is useless. Using your influence as a green consumer is what will force the economy in the right direction but it does mean that no matter how much we try to be individually, the problem won’t go away until our economy is based on non polluting industries.

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