TDV8 Range Rover 2011 model

TDV8 Range Rover 2011 model

Here it is, the new TDV8 Range Rover 2011 model , yours from £67,495 for the entry-level Vogue, the top-spec Autobiography coming in at £81,395 – a rise of £855 and £3515 respectively. Headline changes are the introduction of an all-new 4.4-liter turbo diesel V8 and a new eight-speed automatic ZF gearbox.

TDV8 Range Rover 2011 model

Engine
The engine is noticeably quieter and smoother, and the extra capacity makes it feel far healthier and better able to shrug off what remains a pretty obscene kerb weight – 2.8 ton

TDV8 Range Rover 2011 model

Newer is Greener
Absolutely. The car industry’s rush to slash C02 never seems to impact on performance, and the new TDV8 Range is no exception. Power rises from 268bhp to 309bhp, torque from 472lb ft to 516lb ft, which drops the 0-60mph by more than a second and adds 6mph to the top end. Meanwhile, C02 falls from 294g/km to 253g/km (shaving £200 off your first year’s tax, a tenner a year thereafter), while mpg rises from 25mpg to 30mpg. No doubt the tall eighth-speed helps with all that.

Ferrari 458 Challenge (2010)

This is the new Ferrari 458 Challenge, the newest  in a line of racers to emerge from Maranello. It was unveiled at today's annual dealer meeting in Italy and is destined to join the race in the 2011 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli series. It's the 5th Ferrari designed to racing in the Pracing Horse's one-make series.

The new 458 Challenge is a mix of stock 458 Italia and new competition spec upgrades. The 4.5-litre V8 is road car legal and develops the same 562bhp at a neck-tingling 9000rpm, but it'll soar to that epic redline more frequently thanks to shorter gearing.

The twin-clutch gearbox is re calibrated again to ensure more torque at lower speed, too. But amateur race hands be relieved: the E-DIff electronics remain on hand to curb the worst tail slides on track.

So what makes the Ferrari 458 Challenge a racer?

One of the chief differences between the 458 Italia road car and this Challenge racer is a diet, says Ferrari, although it has yet to issue a kerb weight. The bodyshell panels are thinner in most places and much of the glasswork is replaced by Lexan plastic.

The Challenge should corner on the obligatory tramlines, thanks to a thorough overhaul of the already-not-at-all-shabby suspension. Out go the rubber bushes replaced by solid aluminium bushing; the springs are stiffer and dampers recalibrated; the ride is dropped 30mm all round; and Pirelli slicks are fitted to the new quick-release 19in rims.

Brembo's latest CCM2 brakes from the 599XX are donated to the 458 Challenge to wipe off all that speed. And to help you pile the clicks back on, an upgraded F1-Trac traction control system is added with dry and wet settings to put the ponies to the track. Yet more settings on the manettino steering wheel switch to befuddle the driver mid-corner.

BMW X3 (2010)

Here are the first official pictures of the new 2010 BMW X3. At first look, it's a shrunken X5 and looks smarter and larger than the outgoing, first generation X3 which never quite lived up to its promise.

It's all change with this new X3 in more ways than one. The new 2010 SUV will be built by BMW in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA, and not by Magna in Graz, Austria. That should help fix the quality glitches that blighted the original X3,is it?

BMW X3 2010: an overview

There's a squarer aesthetic at play here. Just check out the horizontal lines marking out the front lights  and a long character line along the flanks further distinguishes X3 from X5. The new X3 is bigger than before, but now the latest X5 has swollen to accommodate three rows of seats, there remains clear water between BM's two large SUVs.

Munich says the new X3 has the lowest emissions of any 4wd model in this segment. Very zeitgeisty. How have they achieved low CO2? By fitting stop-start and an eight-speed transmission to lower the revs.

The line-up

The big seller – hogging 80% of sales – will be the X3 xDrive20d. It has a 2.0-liter aluminum four-cylinder, mustering 182bhp and 280lb ft from 1750-2750rpm – enough for 0-62mph in 8.5sec and 130mph. Yet thanks to stop-start, CO2 stands at 149g/km and average economy 50.4mpg.

BMW has beaten Land Rover to market with a stop-start auto; the eight-speed 2.0d is actually marginally cleaner, at 147g/km of CO2. All other figures are identical to the manual listed above. Other engines will be confirmed later.

This likely best-seller will cost £30,490 – £115 less than the outgoing X3. Standard equipment includes leather upholstery, twin-zone climate control.

Aston Martin DB9 Coupé

At the weekend's 2010 Le Mans 24-hour race you might have seen elsewhere that CAR was embedded in the Which meant that we were well placed to pilfer one of the facelifted DB9s on display at the Aston Martin customer hospitality unit at the French  circuit and drive it back to Blighty.

A 'face lifted' 2010 Aston Martin DB9? It doesn't look very different!

Yes, let's call it the 2011 model year DB9. Aston types hesitate to use the word 'face lift', it's just part of the continuous improvement that's gradually spruced up the DB9 since launch back in 2003.

CAR bumped into Aston Martin design director Marek Reichmann in the AMR pits at Le Mans and he gave us the lowdown on the 2011 DB9. 'We are continuing the elegant feel of the DB9: there's a new front bumper, new side skirts, new colours,' he explained. 'These are mild changes – we've made 12,000 DB9s since launch and don't feel the need to start afresh. There are also plenty of under-the-skin changes.'

Mini to return to the WRC in 2011 with 4x4

Mini is back in rally again, more than 50 years vacuum after it ruled the roost at Monte Carlo and beyond, giving a huge shot in the arm to the WRC.

In typically audacious style BMW has announced this car will campaign the Countryman SUV rather than the standard Mini, starting with selected WRC rounds in 2011 followed by the entire 2012 WRC season.
It’s also a return to WRC for Banbury-based Prodrive, the outfit behind Subaru’s legendary WRC success, who will develop the car and run the whole team. Prodrive last campaigned in the 2008 season, and have been developing the Countryman since early 2009.
The car is based on the production Countryman, and will run the BMW Motorsport 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine, to comply with the new Super2000 regulations. Being an SUV, it will also have four-wheel drive – ironically the only car in the field to do so.

Audi R8 Spyder

These three are the first pictures of the Audi R8 Spyder, after those images were leaked  into the net ahead of the car’s debut at the Frankfurt motor show next week. 

What do we know about the new Audi R8 Spyder?

The power is only expected to come from the 5.2-liter V10 engine, so the Spyder will send 518bhp and 390lb ft to all four wheels via either a six-speed manual or an automated-manual R-tronic gearbox, choose what you prefer.The R8 Spyder also has the same double-strake front intakes and rear vents as the V10, plus the chrome-surrounded central grille and twin oval exhausts.
The obvious difference is the loss of the fixed roof, which folds away under the rear deck ahead of the engine, a la the Gallardo Spyder. Twin vented flying buttress break up the expanse of bodywork, the side blades are now absent and the windscreen surround is brushed aluminum.
The R8 Spyder is expected to go on sale in early 2010, and cost at least £120,000.

The 2009 Volvo C30

The pace of previews for the 2009 Frankfurt motor show gathers pace. Today it’s the turn of Volvo to show off its new car, gently facelifted for 2009 C30.
They are trying to sport up the C30 type, so there’s fresh front and rear styling in this car, in line with the revised C70 and taking its inspiration from their S60 concept car. Think curvier lights, more rounded surface treatments and you get the picture.

There’s also a new Sports chassis with faster steering, 30% stiffer springs and re calibrated dampers, while Volvo’s even now calling it the C30 Sports Coupé. Yes, yes – we get the idea!

What else is new on the 2009 Volvo C30?

Those head lamps have been melted by oxy acetylene torch, and the grille has a new honeycomb pattern sitting within what Volvo calls ‘an iron mask’.Out the back, there’s a new color-coded valance while you can pick the new vibrant orange flame colour depicted here. Inside is refreshed with some new colours, too, including some very un-Scandinavian oragnes, greens and blues. Very edgy!

Engine line-up in the new Volvo C30

• 1.6, 99bhp, 40.4mpg, 167g/km
• 2.0, 143bhp, 38.2mpg, 177g/km
• T5, 227bhp, 32.5mpg, 203g/km
• 1.6D DRIVe, 108bhp, 62.8mpg, 119g/km (72.4mpg, 104g/km with stop-start)
• 2.0D, 134bhp, 49.6mpg, 151g/km
• D5, 178bhp, 45.6mpg, 164g/km
Sales start in November 2009, after its debut at next week’s 2009 Frankfurt motor show

Nissan GT-R Spec M

The ‘Gentle Man's specs’, or Spec M, Nissan GT-R has been the focal point of speculative net rumor since the original product was launched three years ago. Now we've scooped the new GT-R Spec M that's UK-bound, This lightly disguised prototype car was spotted testing at its second house, the Nurburgring in Germany. As clearly shown in our spy photos, the GT-R Spec M is not too dissimilar from the current GT-R: (the devil), most definitely, is in the detail.

 So what's all this about a new, more luxurious Nissan GT-R Spec M?

Essentially a softer riding and comfier version of the GT-R, the Spec M brings extensive leather, plusher interior fittings and reams of extra kit. However the car sticks with the handcrafted VR38DETT V6 engine and running gear as the 'regular' GT-R, so the ballistic performance will remain – albeit slightly blunted by the extra weight.
The Spec M will sport different style and size alloy wheels to the GT-R. Accompanying these will be the addition of a new grille, revised headlights and a new front bumper design. Round the back, a new diffuser layout and bumper complete the exterior makeover.
The Spec M and subtly revised 2011 GT-R are both expected to make their debut at the 2010 Paris motor show this autumn and we expect a significant price hike across every GT-R in the range.

Why the price rise? Because the car has been a runaway success (Nissan's sold 1500 here since UK launch in April 2009, and you'll have to rush to buy one of the remaining few dozen cars left of the current stock). The new GT-R rolls into British showrooms in the first half of 2011.