Fuel economy figures

The report says that on the road, cars rarely come near government figures, and use up to two or three litres per 100km more than the new car rating.
Editor of The Dog and Lemon Guide, Clive Matthew-Wilson, said during a test of a new Toyota FJ Cruiser, he achieved an average fuel consumption readout of 14L/100km, a few litres short of the government rating of 11.4L/100km. Mr Matthew-Wilson said,

“Around town – which is where most of these vehicles will spend their days – the fuel consumption will be over 18L/100km. That’s nearly 60 percent higher than the so-called average figure quoted by the government.”

Mr Matthew-Wilson says it’s not confined to large cars either. He says hybrids are often presented to be much more efficient than they are in the real world.

“According to the BBC, government fuel consumption figures for hybrids are often out by around 30 percent, and our own tests confirm that. The government website says that the Prius uses an average of 3.9L/100km. In the real world, independent tests have shown the Prius uses an average of 5.3L/100km.”
It’s an interesting topic being argued here. Many buyers looking for a new car use the government figures as a serious factor in the car selection process. Most buyers do not realise that these figures have been provided under laboratory conditions, and not under normal day-to-day driving conditions.

Audi TT RS tested by Car and Driver

Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 V10 FSI, the magazine managed a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds. That's supercar territory, which is to be expected of a $165,00 Audi with 525 horsepower and all-wheel-drive.

The 2012 Audi TT RS should hit dealer lots this summer, with a much more reasonable Monroney somewhere in the $60,000 territory. The hot coupe features "only" 335 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine, so it shouldn't even come close to challenging the V10-packing R8 from 0-60, right? According to C/D, the TT RS can do more than just "challenge" the R8 Spyder, as the little hatch managed to hit 60 mph in a blistering 3.6 seconds (note: C/D conducts acceleration testing with a rollout). That's quicker than the R8 and a lot of very expensive Porsche 911 variants. Could this stupendous performance be an aberration?

T-Mobile Announced As Data Provider

For those of us who have already been reading seemingly endless reports and speculation about the proposed merging of operations of two major U.S. cellular providers, it was hard not to see Audi's apparently-only-ill-timed release as that.

Audi gave the official nod to T-Mobile as its official U.S. service provider for its Audi Connect navigation and infotainment system—the day after it was announced that cellular provider AT&T had offered to buy T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion.
The automaker says that it chose T-Mobile for its reliable network, leadership in telematics, and strong record for customer satisfaction. Of course, that latter assurance now...well...needs some new assurance.

Last month, Audi revealed that the Internet connection the A8 gets uses that new LTE data connectivity standard, which allows higher data-transfer speeds of up to 100 Mbits per second—more than six times faster than standard 3G. The speed could in theory be used to stream video to the vehicle.

General Motors is shutting the doors on its Antwerp

General Motors is shutting the doors on its Antwerp, Belgium manufacturing facility after failing to find a buyer for the plant. According to Automotive News, companies from both the United States and China expressed interest in the factory, but GM says that neither could come up with a sustainable business strategy that would keep the doors open and workers employed. The plant currently provides work for around 1,300 people who were warned earlier this year that the facility could be closed by the end of 2010. Now that possibility has become a reality.
The Antwerp plant builds the current Opel Astra, though with the company losing market share hand over fist, GM has been looking to shutter the facility for some time. Interestingly enough, AN says that this is the first closing of a European automotive manufacturing facility since 2006. GM says that while it continues to wind down operations at the plant throughout the remainder of this year, it will still be open to hearing proposals from companies looking to invest in the site.

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Chris Bangle headed back to Fiat?

Now here's a juicy rumor. Word on the web is that Chris Bangle may be looking to step back into the auto-design mainstream by revisiting one of his former employers. Don't expect new BMW models to be wearing any of the guy's influences though. From what we understand from our Google Translator, Caradisiac believes that Bangle would be the perfect choice for Fiat to give its products an extra level of pizzazz as the company wades even deeper into international waters.

On one level, the move makes sense. After all, Bangle called Fiat home before he moved to BMW in 1991, and the designer cut his teeth and made a name for himself while working on the likes of the Fiat Coupe way back when. But we haven't heard word one from the designer about making a return to the mainstream auto world.

For now, we'll simply file this one under rampant rumor and wishful thinking. Fiat isn't having any trouble cranking out stylish products, and one would think the company has its hands too full dealing with bringing Chrysler back to life to bring on a big name like Bangle. Doesn't hurt to ponder "what if?" though, especially since the guy's non-compete dried up in March.

2011 Infiniti QX Officially Unveiled, Priced from $56,700

[Updated with New Photos] Infiniti (officially) pulled the wraps off its all-new 2011 QX56 full-size SUV at the New York International Auto Show. Bigger and brawnier than its predecessor, the second-generation QX is based on the recently revealed 2011 Nissan Patrol. Infiniti's version features a unique front and end treatment, but the rest of the body has remained virtually unchanged.

"The look is clearly Infiniti with its signature Infiniti grille, broad shoulders and large greenhouse," says Ben Poore, vice president, Infiniti Business Unit. "It's rugged, sophisticated and completely captivating." Well, we'll let you be the judge of that.

Styling aside, the new QX features revised dimensions versus the previous model as it is 1.4-inches longer, 1.1-inches wider and 3.8-inches lower in overall height.

Infiniti claims that the QX56's cabin is unique and almost out-of-this-world. Even so, there are no significant differences between the interiors of the Patrol and the Q56.

"If you could take the interior of a private jet and transform it into a full-size SUV, this wouldn't be far off," said Poore.

"From its available sofa-like semi-aniline leather seating to its premium audio and three-source entertainment systems, the QX interior is world-class. It's a highly adaptive environment, with a quality and quietness that adds to the stress-free driving and riding experience."

The new QX features standard 7-passenger seating capacity, with 8-passenger capacity available with the 2nd row 60/40-split folding bench seat. Also available is a remote release for the 2nd row seats to activate the tip-up function through a switch on the center stack. The 3rd row seat is a 60/40-split power folding design with reclining capability.

Like its sister Nissan model, the 2011 QX56 is powered by a new 5.6-liter V8 engine with direct-injection technology that's rated at 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque. Despite the 25% increase in horsepower over the previous QX, Infiniti claims that the new model is more than 10% more fuel efficient.

The V8 unit is hooked up to a standard 7-speed automatic transmission with Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) and manual shift mode with Downshift Rev Match.

The QX is offered in two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, with the 4WD model featuring Infiniti's All-Mode 4WD system with Auto, 4H, and 4L modes. The system can transfer up to 50 per cent of torque to the front wheels on demand.

Infiniti said that the QX's maximum towing capacity is 8,500 pounds for both 2WD and 4WD models.

As a first for Infiniti, the new QX will be offered with an optional Hydraulic Body Motion Control system that utilizes hydraulic cylinders located at the shock absorbers to adjust roll stiffness in order to reduce body lean while turning.

The 2011 QX is scheduled to go on sale at Infiniti retailers nationwide in early summer with pricing set at $56,700 USD for the 2WD and $59,800 USD for the 4WD model. These prices are the same as the previous generation QX.