motorcycles&car: 2017

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

2017 Lamborghini Aventador review.

If you’re going to drive a new Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, especially when clad in the optional vivid Arancia Argos paint, you should slap a couple of accident black spot roundels on its flanks.

As a thing to drive, the Aventador is as safe as anyone could reasonably expect a 690bhp supercar with sub-3.0sec 0-62mph capability to be, but as a device to distract other drivers from the road ahead, its powers may be unprecedented. You might never crash yourself, but you’re going to see plenty.

Aventador is laden with state-of-the-art technology, at its heart it remains a supercar of the old school, a massively wide, impossibly low machine powered by a outrageously powerful and classic normally aspirated V12 – words that would have applied no less accurately to the Countach at its first public showing more than 40 years ago.

Day 3 MotoGP Phillip Island Test Summary.

Day 3 MotoGP Phillip Island Test Summary.

On Friday at Phillip Island, shortly after a quarter to four in the afternoon, local time, a new chapter started in the annals of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Maverick Viñales had just passed the halfway mark of what was supposed to be a full race simulation when Marc Márquez entered the track. The reigning champion latched onto the back of the Movistar Yamaha, following him around the track.

2016 Volkswagen Beetle Dune.

Nothing helps sell vehicles like a good dollop of nostalgia. It’s the reason the previous-generation Beetle sold more than a million units before being discontinued back in 2010. So it comes as no surprise that VW would delve back into its eclectic history to seek inspiration for a new model of Beetle.

Honda NSX 2017.

Many wonderful and stupendous cars have emerged from Japan since Soichiro Honda’s firm launched the S500 in 1963, but none of them has resonated internationally with the force or sheer mystique of the NSX.

Conceived in the mid-1980s pomp of Honda’s (and Japan’s) supreme confidence that there was nothing being done in Europe that could not be bettered domestically, the ‘New Sportscar eXperimental’ was inspired by the F-16 fighter jet, built to outmatch a Ferrari 348 and underpinned by a chassis breathed on by Ayrton Senna.

2017 Audi S4.

It’s business as usual for the latest Audi S4 with rapid all-weather pace but a slightly numb driving experience.

If there’s any badge that signifies discreet all-weather performance, it’s the little ‘S’ found on the back of fast Audis like this new Audi S4. Whether on an S1 or an S8, it guarantees a strong engine and Velcro-like traction wrapped in a package that will fly under the radar of all but the most hardened car nut.

2017 Volkswagen Passat.

The Volkswagen Passat Alltrack is now part of the furniture in the jacked-up ‘lifestyle’ estate world. These are cars aimed at folk not quite ready to sell their soul to the SUV, but do see the appeal of something altogether more rugged in a package they’re comfortable with.

Honda Civic Concept previews 2017 model.

The 10th-generation Honda Civic hatchback was previewed at the Geneva motor show with a close-to-production concept car.

The new Civic hatchback previewed by the Geneva concept will be closely related to the 10th-generation coupé and saloon, which have already been launched in other markets. It will have a range of turbocharged engines and be one of the biggest cars in its segment.

Honda says it is 30mm wider, 20mm lower and 130mm longer than the current car, making it 140mm longer than a Ford Focus and 245mm longer than a Volkswagen Golf. Those dimensions should result in a far more spacious cabin.

Jaguar F-Pace, XF and XE ranges updated with new Ingenium engines.

The Jaguar F-Pace, XF and XE ranges have been updated for 2017 with new engines, driver assist technology and infotainment.

Three new Ingenium powertrains have been added to the mix. The first is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol that produces 197bhp, and the second is a more potent version that produces 247bhp. The units make use of continuously variable valve lift technology to boost performance and efficiency.

The petrol engines are joined by a new turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel that produces 237bhp and 369lb ft of torque. It offers up to 54.4mpg and emits 137g/km when used in the XE.

2017 Porsche 911 GT3 facelift spotted undisguised.

The 2017 car will also get a revised front end, with more aggressive air intakes in the front bumper, a redesigned front spoiler, air intakes and new LED indicators, along with a new diffuser at the rear.

The rest of the car’s styling looks to be largely carried over from the current model, including the slit grilles at the front and back, large rear wing and central twin exhausts.

Toyota C-HR. New car @ 2017

First unveiled in production form at the Geneva motor show in March 2016, the C-HR was revealed as a concept in 2014. The production model gets a coupé-like build due to the designers’ determination to create something that stands out in the Toyota range. The C-HR will sit below the current RAV4 in the model line-up, but is also 20cm longer than a Nissan Juke, placing it as a rival to the Qashqai.

Its exterior design features angular lines and large wheel arches. To the front, headlight clusters wrap around the car giving a feeling of width, adding the low body stance of a coupé while featuring the raised ground clearance of an SUV. The clusters also incorporate full LED lighting and sequential turn signals.

2016 - 2017 Suzuki Baleno Review.

It has made two concerted attempts to sell what we might consider to be a typical family-use, full-sized hatchback in both Europe and the US.

The most recent of them, you may remember, was the Liana.

But before the Liana came the original Baleno, a decent but typically unadventurous model, available in hatch, saloon and estate bodies, that was launched in 1995. Built on a stretched Swift platform, it was the car intended to propel Suzuki into the car-making mainstream, which, as you may have noticed, it spectacularly failed to do.

But should we regret that failure, when Suzuki has instead grown to be one of the global car industry’s true specialists?

2016 Mazda MX-5 Icon Review.

This is the Mazda MX-5 Icon, a name that shows no shortage of confidence and one that some will argue sounds better when it is bestowed by others rather than self-awarded. No matter, for Mazda has a track record here, having launched three Icon editions previously, in 2000, 2005 and 2007. As here with this fourth-generation car, all have been sold in limited numbers, and all have sold well.

Piaggio Gita, An Autonomous Two-Wheeler for the Future.

When you think of the Piaggio Group, in terms of its two-wheeled creations, your thoughts probably conjure up images of motorcycles made by Aprilia or Moto Guzzi, or maybe a scooter with a Vespa badge on it.

Surely, the Gita is not what first comes first to your mind, but it might be the most impactful idea from the Italian brand to-date.

Could Milwaukee Aprilia Be the Dark Horse of WorldSBK.

Eugene Laverty was second on the timesheets for both days in Portimao, and afterwards the Irishman declared that he was happy, confident, and aiming for wins from the opening round of the WorldSBK season.

“I feel a lot more confidence ahead of Phillip Island after this test,” said Laverty. “We’ve had six days on the bike now. The November test was just to get used to the Pirelli tyres again, and by the end of that test I was feeling ok with them.”

“At Jerez, I had planned on moving forward from where we were in November, but we lost a lot there because of the chatter.

CCM Teases 600cc Single-Cylinder “Spitfire”.

Clews Competition Machines is probably not one of the most well-known brands in the USA, though the British marque has a solid niche following around the world.

So, we should explain that CCM is best known for its single-cylinder four-stroke motorcycles, namely dirt bikes, though a number of interesting supermoto models wear the company’s monogram as well.

Right now, CCM is focused on selling its GP450 Adventure model, which takes a repurposed Husqvarna 449 engine, and wraps it in an aluminum chassis that’s built with long-distance ADV riding in mind.

2017 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV review.

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is, by the manufacturer’s own admission, the most important car it makes. Launched in 2014, the niche plug-in hybrid SUV became a sales sensation as the UK’s best selling plug-in hybrid and threw Mitsubishi to the forefront of the green revolution in big cars.

Since then, however, the company and the car have faced some setbacks. News of electric motorway charging stations becoming a paid-for service means that an 80% charge of the car’s 33-mile range battery costs around £6, and the government's plug-in grant has been halved. Meanwhile tax changes due in April mean that instead of being free from VED, it will cost £10 for the first year then £130 every year after that on vehicles that cost £40,000 and below, the bracket into which most Outlander PHEVs fall. Above £40,000, you can expect to pay around £440 a year.

2017 Ford Kuga Powershift review.

2017 Ford Kuga Powershift review.

It's the facelifted Ford Kuga, which we've already driven abroad in 1.5 Ecoboost petrol guise. This, however, is our first UK drive and our test car is fitted with something more relevant to the average British punter: a diesel engine.

To be precise, it’s the top-spec 2.0-litre diesel with 178bhp. It comes only with four-wheel drive, but for those that value a degree of autonomy you still have a choice of either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The whole set-up is on the money in terms of efficiency: 134g/km of CO2 emissions and a claimed fuel economy of 54.3mpg are, give or take, what you’d see from a four-wheel drive, automatic Seat Ateca 2.0 TDI 190. However, keep checking the performance figures and you’ll discover that the dash from 0-62mph in the Ford is 10.0sec, while in the Seat it's 7.5sec. On paper at least, the Kuga is outpaced then.

2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS PDK review. They know how to do it, don’t they? There’s a reason the greatest sports car of all time is also one of the most successful sports cars of all time. Beyond the fact that it’s the greatest, they give you options. Go to the Porsche website and you’ll currently find 19 variants of the 911 on offer, even though the range is currently without a GT3/RS model. From the base Carrera 2 through tao the Turbo S Cabriolet, Porsche is the master at making a 911 for everyone. Well, not quite everyone, because even the cheapest one is £76,000, but you know what I mean. With some sports cars/junior supercars, you might get two or three, or four or five, even seven or eight flavours. Nineteen means that, if one isn’t quite for you, another one likely is. The latest and meanest batch to join the range are the GTS models which, last time around, acted like some kind of bridge between regular Carrera models and the GT3. Now the GTS is back, with the suggestion that it might do the same: a Carrera S Plus, if you will. Lower, faster, keener, but not motorsport-derived. Sounds quite promising for the road, doesn’t it? GTSs now account for five models in the 911 range. You can have a two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive coupé, the same in cabriolet form and a Targa in four-wheel drive only, in either manual or dual-clutch PDK automatic form. All GTS variants get the wider body that usually marks out four-wheel-drive models, and the same power output of 444bhp – 30bhp more than the regular Carrera S – courtesy of new turbochargers for the 3.0-litre, flat six engine. That the GT3, GT3 RS and 911 R are no longer available means the 911 line-up is now entirely turbocharged. All GTS models get sports suspension, which is 10mm lower than standard, but coupés like this one get a further suspension drop courtesy of PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), which also allows the dampers to be swapped between normal and stiffer modes. The Targa and Cabriolets do without that. Standard on all, though, is a sports exhaust and Porsche’s Sport Chrono package, which brings with it dynamic engine mounts. Soft during normal driving, they firm up in cornering to prevent the engine moving around and unsettling the handling of what is, let’s remember, a rear-engined car. The detail changes even between GTS variants continues. If you spec a manual car, you get a mechanical limited-slip differential and Porsche Torque Vectoring (rear-wheelbraking). PDK models get an electronic limited-slip differential and PTV Plus. I swear there are as many Porsche initialisms as there are 911s. The ‘Plus’ bit means that the wheel braking is combined with control of the differential. And then you can have as an option Power Steering Plus, which makes the steering lighter at parking speeds and is fitted to this grey car; and active rear steering, which isn’t. Phew. Keeping up? Good. Then I’ll continue: wheels are 20in centre-lock as standard, and 0.5in wider than usual, shod with 245mm-wide front and 305mm-wide rear tyres. The rear track is wider than the Carrera S’s, too, to encourage less body roll. Front brakes are up by 10mm in diameter and get larger 911 Turbo pads, with aluminium disc hubs. The 0-62mph time falls by at least 0.2sec and, in case you care, the Nürburgring lap time is, apparently, down by four seconds. Inside? An Alcantara steering wheel is the highlight (because I love Alcantara wheels) and there are a few smatterings of GTS-labelled bits and bobs here and there, plus dark colours to make it a bit more moody and purposeful. But the devil is, as is so often the way with Porsche, in those technical details, intended, you suspect, to add just enough keenness and sharpness, hints of GT3, while staying road-sensible. Quelle surprise, they work. Boy, do they work. A standard 911 S is still a terrific car – and because it retains six cylinders, unlike a Boxster/Cayman, the addition of turbos hasn’t spoiled the engine – but this GTS turns up the levels of interaction a bit further. There’s no great reason it should be hugely different from a standard 911 – and, well, it isn’t – because you can have the equivalent suspension drop on the regular Carrera S. But there is a big enough difference in all the little details combined – the better feel offered by the steering wheel rim; the reduced unsprung mass at the front; the modest but noticeable difference in urgency; and the resistance to roll and enhanced traction given by the new rear geometry – that the GTS feels inherently keener, more engaged, and more willing than a regular 911. It still rides, too, which is some going for a car with 35-profile front and 30-profile rear tyres. Even on Welsh hillside roads, you can flick the dampers into the Sports setting and not be bucked from one bump to another as you would be in a Nissan GT-R. It doesn’t have the magic floaty feeling of a McLaren 570S, but it settles impeccably quickly and its steering, meatily heavy, is quite possibly the most rewarding electrically assisted system on any current production car. It retains a usable roundness, but it feels inherently keener, more engaging, more focused. The engine sounds a touch zingier and has suffered no discernible loss in response. PDK is now superb and the handling is as secure, predictable and engaging as you could hope. Those words keep cropping up when you try to describe the GTS: engaging and keen. It’s not that a regular Carrera or Carrera S lacks those things, but for every incremental model upgrade, they are the things that seem to fall away, until some of it is popped back in later. The GTS is Porsche doing precisely that. Thank You for Watching This video. Dont forget to subscribe. See you next time. Bye bye.2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS PDK review.

2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS PDK review.

They know how to do it, don’t they? There’s a reason the greatest sports car of all time is also one of the most successful sports cars of all time. Beyond the fact that it’s the greatest, they give you options.

Go to the Porsche website and you’ll currently find 19 variants of the 911 on offer, even though the range is currently without a GT3/RS model. From the base Carrera 2 through tao the Turbo S Cabriolet, Porsche is the master at making a 911 for everyone. Well, not quite everyone, because even the cheapest one is £76,000, but you know what I mean. With some sports cars/junior supercars, you might get two or three, or four or five, even seven or eight flavours. Nineteen means that, if one isn’t quite for you, another one likely is.

Ducati’s 2017 World Superbike Team Debuts.

Race teams continue to debut their 2017 liveries and riders, and this time around we feature the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike squad that will race in the World Superbike Championship.

Chaz Davies of course returns to the team, and this season he will be joined by Marco Melandri. The duo will be an interesting pair to watch this season, with Davies holding onto his impressive form from the last-half of the 2016 season, and Melandri making his return to motorcycle racing, after sitting out last season.

2017 Honda Civic 1.0 i-VTEC Turbo SR review.

The old Honda Civic - that is to say, the current one - was classic Honda. Conceived the other side of the 2008 global crash and then torn up in the aftermath, the five-door model arrived in Europe virtually pre-wrapped in also-ran status thanks to, in no particular order, its oddball looks, mediocre interior and an engine line-up which relegated petrol buyers to a naturally aspirated motor that dated like cottage cheese.

Imagining the 2018 Suzuki RM-Z450 Supermoto.

Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team Debuts.

Check Out the 2017 Honda RC213V.

Finally, Here is the Husqvarna 701 Enduro.

Finally, Here is the Husqvarna 701 Enduro.

We already blew the cover on the Husqvarna 701 Enduro last month, but now the Swedish brand is officially showing the big enduro to the general public. As expected, the 701 Enduro will be the off-road compliment to the 701 Supermoto, with the two machines sharing the same 690cc single-cylinder platform.