2017 Audi R8 5.2 Quattro V10 on 2040-cars

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Audi pits S3 against Ur-Quattro on gravel

If you had to pick a winner between the latest Audi S3 and the original Audi Sport Quattro, which would it be? Both hot hatches pack around 300 horsepower and all-wheel drive, but they're separated by a good thirty years of development.
To find out, Audi took both to the old rally circuit in San Remo. Behind the wheel of the Ur-Quattro they put none other than The Stig himself - no, not the Top Gear test bot, but Stig Blomqvist, the Swedish former rally driver who drove the Quattro to the World Rally Championship in the mid-80s. In the S3 they put someone named Hermann Müller, who as best we can tell was one of Auto Union's original Silver Arrow drivers - but he died in 1975, so it's probably the guy who writes for the Audi magazine. Regardless, the contest was pretty close, so it's worth checking out in the 2:26 video clip below.

Audi rolls out new A6 L E-Tron hybrid for China

Audi is expanding its range of hybrid models with the introduction of the A6 L E-Tron at the Shanghai Motor Show. It's earmarked specifically for the Chinese market and is based on the long-wheelbase A6 L already produced there. The new E-Tron model marries a 2.0-liter turbo four good for 211 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque to an electric motor with 122 hp and 162 lb-ft integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission. A lithium-ion battery pack provides 14.1 kWh power. Mounted in the trunk, it limits cargo capacity to 11.9 cubic feet. The system produces net output of 245 hp and 369 lb-ft – enough to send the long-wheelbase hybrid to 62 miles per hour in 8.4 seconds en route to a top speed of 130 mph. All the while, it'll return 106.9 miles per gallon by the Chinese standard, traveling over 30 miles on electric power alone (at speeds of up to 83.9 mph) and up to 546.8 miles without needing to stop. The A6 L E-Tron is one of three new hybrids Audi is showcasing in Shanghai this year, alongside the Q7 E-Tron and Prologue Allroad concept. Ingolstadt, 2015-04-16 The new Audi A6 L e-tron for China - First Audi plug-in hybrid model from Chinese production - Output of 180 kW (245 hp) with extremely low consumption - 50 km (31.1 mi) electric range and total range of 880 km (546.8 mi) With the A6 L e-tron, Audi is taking an important step toward even greater fuel efficiency in China. The sedan has been developed specifically for the Chinese market. Its plug-in hybrid drive with 180 kW (245 hp) provides for powerful performance. The model consumes on average just 2.2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (106.9 US mpg). After launching the e-tron era in China with the imported A3 Sportback e-tron* in 2015, Audi is taking the next step with the local production of the A6 L e-tron beginning in 2016. The model is based on the long version of the Audi A6, which is already built in China, and is configured as a highly efficient parallel hybrid, meaning that its two drives are arranged one directly behind the other. The 2.0 TFSI is a state-of-the-art, four-cylinder, gasoline engine producing 155 kW (211 hp) and 350 Nm (258.1 lb-ft) of torque. The disk-shaped electric motor provides 91 kW and 220 Nm (162.3 lb-ft) of torque. Together with a decoupler, this is integrated into the eight-speed tiptronic transmission, which transfers the power to the front wheels. System output is 180 kW (245 hp); maximum system torque is 500 Nm (368.8 lb-ft).

Comparison test: 2019 Acura RDX vs. compact luxury SUV competitors

Truth be told, if we were to compare the all-new 2019 Acura RDX with those compact luxury crossover SUVs it would most likely be cross-shopped against, you'd be looking at a different list. Even Acura admits that Lexus and Infiniti are the most likely bogies, but with the 2019 RDX, Honda's luxury brand is attempting to attract those customers who think as much with their hearts as with their heads. And for the most part, those folks have been buying from German brands: the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. So, to show how the new RDX compares to them, Acura actually provided examples of each during the recent press drive along with a Volvo XC60. All were determined to have greater emotional appeal than the last RDX, and we would certainly agree. For, as much as the previous-generation RDX made sense on paper, it was really hard to get excited about it. And when you're paying extra for a luxury vehicle, shouldn't you get a little excited? Well, as luck would have it, Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and I were on hand in Whistler, British Columbia, for the press launch. We didn't have an abundance of time in each RDX competitor, but in conjunction with our usual comparison chart, our impressions should provide a good first taste of how the new RDX compares. Performance and fuel economy Contributing Editor James Riswick: On paper at least, the RDX is gutsier than its comparably powered European rivals. It also weighs the same or less, which logically should mean it'll be the quickest in a straight line. During my brief drives, though, I'm not sure it really stood taller than the three Germans. It at least matches them for smoothness, which is something that can't be said about the Volvo. Fuel economy is lower than them all when you consider all but the Mercedes come standard with all-wheel drive. It's also worth noting that all the competitors are available with engine upgrades, and unless Acura's forthcoming resurrection of Type S models includes the RDX, it should stay that way. Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: Line 'em all up in a drag race, and I have a feeling the Acura would squirt away to victory. A good bit of that, though, would be due to its 10-speed automatic transmission, which offers a huge spread of ratios and fires off extremely quick shifts. In the real world, I'd guess fuel economy will be similar across the board, so I'm willing to call that category a draw.