Our verdict on the Audi RS5, the firm’s 444bhp super-coupe. Read the full review at www.autocar.co.uk see the Audi RS5 pics at www.autocar.co.uk plus the latest Audi news at www.autocar.co.uk

Filed under: Sedan, Audi, Beijing Motor Show, Luxury

Audi is pulling out its biggest gun yet for the Beijing Motor Show, and while the big news for the A8 L might be the 6.3-liter W12 and the sedan’s longer wheelbase, it’s the rear seat accommodations that have us frothing at the mouth.

Seriously, just look at it.

With an overall length of nearly 17 and a half feet, the A8 L is almost a half-foot longer than its standard sibling, with a wheelbase of 10.24 feet. Those extra inches are put to good effect, with an interior that’s enough to make a Maybach look downright spartan.

Open the lengthened rear doors and occupants are greeted by acres of leather, a full-length center console and two power-adjustable, heated and ventilated seats that not only move fore and aft, but include adjustments for cushion depth, lumbar support and seat back angle. Ten remote-controlled air-bladders massage your cares away, and if the front passenger seat – with its power-adjustable folding ottoman – cramps your style, you can move it forward with the flick of a switch.

The standard four-zone automatic climate control is manipulated by no less than 25 adjustable motors, and the massive center tunnel contains everything from a folding table to a refrigerator. It’s all first-class, from the ambient lighting to the Valonea leather, and when the time comes to put the laptop away, crank up the 1,400-watt, 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System and enjoy a movie on one of the two 10.2-inch LCD displays.

If you’re ready to give your chauffeur a rest, take solace in the fact that the W12 puts out 500 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque through Audi’s new eight-speed automatic transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive. The result is a remarkably quick 4.9-second run to 60 and a electrically-limited top speed of 155 mph.

The W12 will be the standard engine at launch, with a few diesel and petrol-powered engines available further down the line. We’d expect pricing for the A8 L to be revealed shortly after its official debut later this month, but in the meantime, make the jump for the full details.

Continue reading 2011 Audi A8 L arrives with 500-hp W12, seating for a king-maker

2011 Audi A8 L arrives with 500-hp W12, seating for a king-maker originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Audi, Quick Spin, Racing

There is only one Audi TT RS in the entire United States right now. And here we are, hurling the black coupe down the front straight at Willow Springs Raceway at 132 mph. We’ve been invited out to the sunny California desert on a pristine day to flog the hottest-ever Audi TT back-to-back against its TTS sibling, along with a few stints in the all-new S4 and R8 V10 for good measure.

The TT RS isn’t simply another upgraded model in the automaker’s diversified lineup. The TTS (and the other standard performance models) come from the Audi AG Sport division, while the TT RS was incubated and hatched by Quattro GmbH – the team who brought us the nefarious R8, RS4 and RS6. And while we’ve seen the TT on our shores with four- and six-cylinder powerplants, the new five-cylinder engine marks a significant departure for the front-engine coupe and convertible (even as it pays homage to the original 1980s-era Audi Sport Quattro).

So what makes the TT RS special and how does it fit into the current TT lineup? More importantly, how does the enthusiast-tuned package work under demanding track conditions? We intend to find out while answering a very important question for Audi: Should it bring the TT RS to the States?

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Quick Spin: 2010 Audi TT RS performs, assuming Audi AG decides to deliver

Quick Spin: 2010 Audi TT RS performs, assuming Audi AG decides to deliver originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Performance, Audi, Luxury

When the Audi S8 was nixed from the automaker’s lineup late last year, the news produced a collective sigh around Autoblog Towers. Audi’s largest, most powerful sedan held a special place in our hearts, but redemption appears to be right around corner – the N

Burning rubber for the good cause: celebs like Timo Scheider at the charity event in Tyrols skiers paradise Kühtai.

Filed under: Car Buying, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz

Report: Audi may have passed Mercedes in Q1 global sales, but BMW is still #1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read

For more than a century, perfection down to the last detail is a standard for us.

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Hatchback, Audi, Celebrities, Luxury

When Audi first announced it would be relying on the talents of Justin Timberlake to push the company’s new A1, we were a little skeptical. At first, it looked like JT was to do little more than stand on stage and look pretty next to the pint-sized hatch, but it appears the four-rings has other plans in mind, including a new action driving series starring none other than the singer-turned actor.

If you’re thinking a bunch of star-packed mini-movies sponsored by a German automaker sounds more than a little familiar, it should. BMW followed the same recipe with Clive Owen in The Hire way back in 2001 and 2002. The result was a total of eight short films that remain some of our favorite time-wasters to this day. What can we say? You can’t have James Brown drag race the devil for his soul and not be a winner.

From what we can tell from the short trailer, Audi’s effort looks to have all the right ingredients. There’s gun fire, car chases, tire smoke, good music and, of course, a hot antagonist (Dania Ramirez). Throw in any semblance of plot, and you’ve already got 9/10ths of a Michael Bay masterpiece. Sign us up. You can hit the jump to see the trailer before the action begins next month.

Continue reading Video: Audi and Justin Timberlake show off The Next Big Thing

Video: Audi and Justin Timberlake show off The Next Big Thing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Audi, Reviews, Luxury

Taking a great looking performance car and chopping off its roof is risky business – compromises are inevitable. That’s especially true in this modern age of unibody structures. Removing a big chunk of a vehicle’s architecture without adequately reinforcing what’s left can yield a chassis incapable of managing the position of the wheels, let alone result in a vehicle that loses its level of driver engagement and enthusiasm. On the other hand, reinforcements add mass – often lots of it. It’s a treacherous path, as both flaccid body control and weight are the mortal enemy of performance.

You can understand our trepidation, then, upon learning that Audi was planning on introducing its S5 Cabriolet at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. By our reckoning, the German debutante’s rollout was cause for both consternation and celebration. When the A5 and S5 coupes arrived in 2007, they were hailed as being among the best looking cars ever to wear the brand’s Four Rings. The new Cabriolet models would bring with them the euphoria of open-air motoring, but we had to wonder – would Audi’s rakish new hardtop be turned into a floppy flier just by giving it a roofectomy? Equally as important, would the model’s newly downsized engine drop the performance? There was only one thing to do: Put the range-topping S5 Cabriolet through a week-long test.

Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet speaks too softly, but carries a big stick

Review: 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet speaks too softly, but carries a big stick originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Filed under: Car Buying, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Audi

There are good problems and there are bad problems. Audi dealers across the U.S. are having trouble selling vehicles, but not because of uncompetitive product or industry-wide sales woes. Automotive News reports the reason for Audi’s sales troubles have everything to do with a supply shortage that stems from strong first quarter sales. Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen reportedly told AN that U.S. dealers are “short of everything,” with Q5 and Q7 supplies running especially low.

Last year, Audi cut U.S. deliveries by 6,000 units due to weak sales here in the States, but the German luxury automaker saw brisk sales in December followed by a first quarter that bested the first three months of 2009 by 35 percent. Audi now has a 29 day supply of product for U.S. dealers; about half the typical 60 day reserve and a third of the 88 day supply of March, 2009. De Nysschen says Audi has allotted an additional 3,000 vehicles to the U.S. for 2010, which should help dealers a bit. That said, we’re thinking Audi isn’t looking to beef up inventories too much considering the fact that the Four-Ringed automaker managed to keep incentives in check at a time when other automakers are dumping truckloads of cash on the hood to boost their sales.

Photos by Dan Roth / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Audi U.S. sales suffering due to supply shortage originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read