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NHTSA awards Audi A3 and S3 sedans five stars

The Audi A3 and S3 sedans aced the New Car Assessment Program tests run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, each scoring five stars overall. The A3 sedan adds this latest five-star rating to its Top Safety Pick+ award bestowed upon it by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earlier this year, and Audi says it's the only Euro premium luxury compact to do that double. The only place either car dropped a single star was for a male driver in the frontal barrier test and in the rollover test. It's clear from the lengthening list of top marks – and its list of safety technology – that it's among the safest sedans you can buy. Featured Gallery 2015 Audi A3: Review View 36 Photos News Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [1], [2] via Audi World Government/Legal Audi Safety Sedan crash test audi s3

Consumer Reports says infotainment systems 'growing first-year reliability plague'

The Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey (right) is out, and the top two spots look much the same as last year's list with Lexus and Toyota in first and second place, respectively. However, there are some major shakeups for 2014, with Acura plunging eight spots from third in 2013 to 11th this year, and Mazda replaces it on the lowest step of the podium. Honda and Audi round out the top five. This year's list includes six Japanese brands in the top 10, two Europeans, one America and one Korean.
Acura isn't the only one taking a tumble, though. Infiniti is the biggest loser this year by dropping 14 spots to 20th place. Other big losses come from Mercedes-Benz with an 11-place fall to 24th, and GMC, which declines 10 positions to 19th.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not traditional mechanical bugs hauling down these automaker's reliability scores. Instead, pesky problems with infotainment systems are taking a series toll on the rankings. According to Consumer Reports, complaints about "in-car electronics" were the most grumbled about element in new cars. Problem areas included things like unresponsive touchscreens, issues pairing phones and multi-use controllers that refused to work right.

Audi reveals 'rightsized' 2.0 TFSI engine for next A4

Downsizing engines is a trend sweeping the industry. It's not a new thing, and downsizing helps automakers cut fuel consumption and emissions while employing techniques like turbocharging and direct injection. Audi, however, is taking a different approach with its latest engine. Revealed at the Vienna Motor Symposium in Austria is Audi's newest trick powertrain. Where others are going with smaller engines, Ingolstadt's latest displaces a nice round 2.0 liters, employing a shorter intake time to use less fuel. It's sort of like the Miller cycle that Mazda brought to market on the old Millenia, only turbocharged (instead of supercharged) and brought up to date. Audi calls the four-pot "rightsized," producing 190 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque across a broad rev range, while getting 47 miles to the gallon – and that's on the US cycle, which is tougher than the European standard a company like Audi would usually quote. In short, it's designed to provide power where needed but only sip at the fuel tank when it's not, but the geekiest among us will want to delve into all the intricacies outlined in the announcement below. The engine is set to power the next-generation A4 before being rolled out in additional models in the future. Ingolstadt/Vienna, 2015-05-07 World premiere at the Vienna Motor Symposium: new high-efficiency engine from Audi - New 2.0 TFSI four-cylinder engine with innovative combustion method - Top figures: 190 hp, 320 Nm (236.0 lb-ft), less than 5 l/100 km (47.0 US mpg) - To be implemented in the new Audi A4 by the end of 2015 - Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg: "A prime example of the Audi rightsizing strategy" Audi presents the most efficient two-liter gasoline engine in its class. The new 2.0 TFSI with 140 kW (190 hp) demonstrates the engine expertise of the brand – with a ground-breaking new combustion method. Audi will be using the engine for the first time in the next generation of the A4. Over ten years ago, Audi was the first manufacturer worldwide to bring the TFSI engine with turbocharging and direct injection into series production. This made the brand with the four rings the trendsetter in downsizing and downspeeding. "We're now taking a crucial step further with rightsizing," said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG.