Jethro Bovingdon forged his reputation with Evo magazine and then the ill-fated Drivers Republic website. Now, he finds himself on staff at Car magazine and, of more relevance to us right now, he is behind the wheel of the Audi RS5. Check out his video review after the jump.
[Source: Car]
The Volkswagen Passat R36 has been around for a while now. After a recent drive, though, I learned the R36 still remains a worthwhile option for those who crave performance from their family car.
Its mid-60s asking price makes it something of a performance bargain in the Volkswagen range. Although, compared to some rivals, the R36 does ask a premium.
Given its R badge, VW reckon this car has some go. And they’re right, too. The R36 is the fastest car Volkswagen currently sells in Australia. You’ll need just 5.6 seconds to propel the sedan to 100km/h, with a further 0.2 seconds in the wagon. At well over 1700kg this is no mean feat, but possible thanks to a 4motion all-wheel drive system and a sublime six-speed DSG transmission, which is mated to one of the most charming engines on the market.
The R36 is powered by a narrow angle 3.6 litre V6 offering 220kW. That’s around 300 horsepower in the old money. It’s an engine that can trace its roots back the Golf VR6 from the 1990s. And the R36 represents the last chance you have to enjoy its delights before Euro V emissions consign it to the history books. A fate that has already claimed the Golf R32.
[First filed 19 April]
Car and Driver were in attendance at the recent Audi RS5 launch in Spain. Obviously this meant they got some time behind the wheel of Audi’s new super coupé with the freedom offered by the wonderful Ascari race resort.
Here’s a snippet from their generally very positive article:
“The handling is definitely what one would call forgiving, and at the limit, you appreciate the improvement from the more nose-heavy Audis of yore. We won’t say whether the RS5 will trump the benchmark BMW M3 just yet, but we think it’s going to be one hell of a fight”
You can read the rest of Car and Driver’s piece by following the link below. The RS5 has a lot to live up to, especially if, as I fear, there is no new RS4 in the works. So, can Audi’s latest RS model keep up the promising feedback, or will it ultimately get close to its rivals and fall short?
[Source: Car and Driver]
UPDATE 22 April: Winding Road have filed their report from Spain now. They reckon the RS5 is the duck’s guts, declaring, “This is easily the best Audi RennSport-level experience we’ve yet had.” That’s some compliment. They also say the RS5 should take it right up to its Mercedes and BMW rivals.
Vicki-Butler Henderson has got her hands on the Porsche Boxster Spyder for the benefit of her Fifth Gear Web TV audience. Even better she took it to the track and gave a jolly good spanking. She reckons the car has a fantastic chassis, but is it worth the extra cash over the regular Boxster S?
Check out the video after the jump to find out.
[Thanks to Wayne for the tip]
Following written reports of the Audi RS5 from Autocar and Car and Driver come these five videos filmed by motoring hacks at the RS5 press launch, held at the Ascari Race Resort in Spain. There’s a mix of aggressive and timid on track action, as well as some footage filmed on the fun looking winding roads near the Ascari track.
As far as the handling and performance of the RS5 goes not a lot is given away in the clips that follow, suffice to say the car does seem quite well balanced, its 4.2 litre V8 sounds pretty nice and the 7-speed S tronic does seem willing to bounce of the rev limiter, rather than forcing the driver to endure an unwanted upshift.
If nothing else you get a pretty good idea of the elevation changes on the track layout used for the launch. You also get to see some not so special overtaking moves on a public road.
UPDATE 21 April: Better make that SIX videos—a new clip filmed on public roads has been added below.
Autocar is one of the first publications to get their hands on Audi’s new RS5. With a revised 4.2 litre V8 sourced from Ingolstadt’s famed RS4 and a svelte coupé body can the RS5 match the rave reviews of its sedan and wagon siblings? Here’s a grab of what reviewer Jamie Corstorphine had to say:
“Is the RS5 a car you would drive with no destination in mind? Like almost every other Audi, it feels like a piece of heavy machinery, one with deep reserves of engineering capability, but it is also one of the rare Audis that also has a fluidity and delicacy to it. I’d stop short of saying it would be a car I would choose to take on a track day, but for a non-stop return trip from London to the top of Scotland, there are few cars I would be happier to be in.”
Follow the link below for the full review.
[Source: Autocar]
The Audi R8 Spyder—who could say no to that 525hp V10 sitting behind your ears? Well, you can see for yourself after the break that the chaps at Evo magazine would be more than willing to join the queue for the roofless R8.
Now, as most readers will know, Evo sets a very high standard for their reviews. They are generally acknowledged as providing some of the better reviews in the motoring landscape. That being the case, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below on how you think the opportunity to review the R8 Spyder was handled.
Welcome to AUSmotive’s second Tried & Tested review. This time, with a bit of a difference. As you can see we’re discussing the new Mk6 Golf, and with the new Golf not making its Australian debut until later this month I have had to follow a few leads via the VWvortex forums to file this report. This has led me right to the heart of Volkswagen, with the owner of this Mk6 Golf, Jimmy, an ex-pat US citizen now residing in Wolfsburg. Jimmy has been kind enough answer a few questions about his new wheels…
Q. Can you please list the full spec of your car, how long you have owned it and kilometres travelled.
A. I have the 1.4 litre TSI 160PS (approx 117kw) engine and the 7-speed DSG transmission, with flappy paddles on the steering wheel. It is only a few months old and I have completed just 1500 kilometyres so far.
It also has heated leather seats with power lumbar, the new generation RNS-510 sat nav system (with the hard disk drive). There is also Park Assist, although no reverse camera, just sensors in the bumpers, and it can also parallel park automagically.
Obviously by the pictures you can see it is a three door version. As of right now new Mk6 Golf is still quite rare, even here in Wolfsburg. I’ve only seen one or two others like it, quite unique for a town that renamed itself “Golfsburg” a few years ago.
My car was made in Mosel (Zwickau) and not in Wolfsburg.
[Ed: This is interesting, as I had previously heard that all Mk6 Golf production was to take place in Wolfsburg, perhaps all Golf production will now be in Germany, rather than Wolfsburg itself.]
Fifth Gear returned to UK screens last week with the premiere episode of Series 15. This makes them the first major UK car show to get their hands on the Mk6 Golf. Here’s Jonny Smith’s review.
For more on the new Golf, check out this previous AUSmotive post, including the Trackback links at the bottom of the article that will take you to a wide range of Golf VI related articles.
From somewhat humble beginnings this blog started in March 2008. In that time I have enjoyed maintaining the site and keeping the information ticking over. Of course, the best parts to date have been the test drives. While I may not have been able to complete as many reviews as I would like, I have had a great time testing the cars I have been granted access to. Thanks to all who have assisted in this regard and special mentions must go to Jonathon from Audi Centre Canberra and Brad from Rolfe Classic MINI Garage for their generous cooperation and support.
So, with that preamble in mind, the three cars I have enjoyed testing most in 2008 are the Audi R8, the Audi RS6 Avant and the MINI John Cooper Works.
Audi R8 – “Mash your right foot to the floor and you’ll be creating smiles on a demographic far broader than Audi ever planned. While putting a grin on your face that has you giggling like a mischievous school boy.”
Audi RS6 Avant – “No car I have ever driven has given me the thrill the RS6 delivered. I’m loathe to make the cliched comparisons to sex, but, after handing back the keys yesterday afternoon, I had a smile on my face that lasted well into the night.”
MINI John Cooper Works – “The MINI John Cooper Works is a fantastic point to point weapon that keeps MINI at the forefront of the hot hatch category. There may be cheaper alternatives out there, but few can match the MINI’s cachet, and fewer still can match the John Cooper Works for driving thrills.”
In Iceland for the official Golf VI launch autocar.co.uk has filed a brief review of a 2.0 TDI Golf VI, with DSG transmission. Here’s a few snippets:
Read the autocar.co.uk article in full for more detail.
Last month Audi Australia officially launched an all new A4 model. Audi claims to be the fastest growing prestige brand in the Australian market. If that growth is to continue the new A4 needs to deliver bums on seats. At launch there were four engine choices available. Two petrol powerplants—118kW 1.8 TFSI turbocharged four-cylinder, 195kW 3.2 FSI narrow angle V6—and two turbocharged diesel engines—105kW 2.0 TDI four-cylinder, 140kW 2.7 TDI six-cylinder. In AUSmotive’s second Drive Thru instalment, we bring you a brief report on the entry level 1.8 TFSI model.