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Ruf RGT 4.2 offers 518 hp of naturally aspirated power

Ruf has a reputation for building some fast interpretations of the Porsche 911, and the company's latest RGT 4.2 at the Geneva Motor Show provides an interesting point of comparison compared to the new GT3 RS that's debuting there. In terms of pure power, the Ruf wins out. The company crafts a flat six with 4.2-liters of displacement making 518 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque with a top speed of 200 miles per hour. In contrast, the latest GT3 RS gets 500 ponies and 338 lb-ft of twist from its direct-injected 4.0-liter mill. Depending on your desires, the RGT 4.2 might have the preferred gearbox too with its six-speed manual versus the Porsche's PDK. Styling is also going to come down to personal tastes between these two. The RGT 4.2 has an almost old-school racing look with its bolted-on fender flares, five-spoke wheels, thick carbon fiber rear wing and lower front air dam. Inside, there's also an integrated roll cage. The RS, on the contrary, appears thoroughly modern with its big fender intakes at the back, slashes just behind the front wheels, CFRP hood and magnesium roof. Check out Ruf's naturally aspirated monster on the Geneva show floor in the gallery, above. The RGT 4.2 maintains a long tradition of Ruf supercars with its outrageous driving performance. Unveiled in 2000, the first RGT was characterised by its powerful, torquey normally-aspirated flat-six engine. With a significantly reduced all-up weight and sports-oriented suspension system, the RGT was an extremely impressive driving machine.Now, in 2015, the RGT remains true its original concept, though its external appearance is clearly more athletic. The wheel arches are more bulbous and the front facade presents huge round air intakes for more effective cooling. The chassis is reinforced by RUF's hallmark Integrated Roll Cage (IRC). Propulsion is provided by its virile 4.2-litre six-cylinder, normally-aspirated engine, developing 525bhp and 500Nm of torque, featuring dry sump lubrication with external oil tank. A proper driving machine for sure POWER 525 PS / 386 kW @ 8.370/min TORQUE 500 Nm @ 5.820/min DISPLACEMENT 4178ccm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual gearbox TOP SPEED 322 km/h FUEL CONSUMPTION urban 19,8 l/100km non-urban 9,8l/100km combined 13,6 l/100km CO2 emissions 317g/km Effizienzklasse G Related Video:

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Next-generation Panamera will spawn variants, Sport Turismo in the running

A few years ago it took actual willpower not to consider what kinds of cool derivatives Porsche could make with the Panamera. Our fancies were helped by patent drawings of a Panamera convertible, rumors of a two-door 928 GT and internal Porsche sketches of such a car, and report after report after report that the current, second-generation Panamera would begin to expand the family. That hasn't happened, but according to a new report in Auto Express, the next Panamera will be the one to begin the bifurcation. Wolfgang Hatz, the brand's head of research and development, told the mag that, "We have prepared it for a lot of derivatives, personally I like very much the Sport Turismo." The Panamera Sport Turismo, remember, was the hybrid, concept wagon that rolled into the 2012 Paris Motor Show and made everyone ask, "Why didn't you build this design from the beginning?" It could have been Hatz's English, but after professing his ardor for the Sport Turismo, the executive said, "But there is a good chance for more derivatives." We're not sure if that means the Sport Turismo is all but approved, or if he was speaking of the third generation Panamera's new MSB platform in general. Even though Hatz mentioned a coupe and convertible, it sounds like that latter variant won't be happening, Hatz saying that the brand already has the Boxster and 911 Cabriolet. We're willing to forgive that omission – who's really looking for a four-door convertible, anyway? – and welcome the Sport Turismo first if Hatz will please please please get us a new 928.