Daily Archives: January 21, 2017
Pitting the Kia Stinger GT vs Audi A5 Sportback
Comparing the Kia Stinger GT and Audi A5 Sportback is monumental because up until Kia threw its own in the ring, there are only a few competitors in the four-door fastback category.
Kia Stinger
Although it was a latecomer, Kia was bold in its move, designing the four-door Stinger fastback with hood vents, tiger-nose grille, unique LED headlamps, and a throng of other athletic elements.
The Stinger also has a “jazzed up” wheels, a beautifully sloping roof, and a silver trim that runs along the windows to the rear of the vehicle. Turning to the rear, you’ll find that Kia fitted the Stinger with dual exhaust tailpipes, thin taillights, and angular vents.
Inside, you can expect a more premium feel for the Stinger GT. There’s Nappa leather seat covers, large touchscreen on top of the dash, and circular air vents reminiscent of a Mercedes.
Audi A5 Sportback
The Audi A5 Sportback, on the other hand, boasts of its spacious cargo area, which owners can access through a liftgate at the rear of the car. The rear seats can be folded down to further expand the already spacious cargo area.
On the outside, the Stinger GT trumps out the A5 Sportback’s reservations to be bold and more alluring that the A4. It shares the Stinger GT’s side vent near the front door, and the Sportback’s character lines aren’t as tamed as the ones on the Kia.
The interior is where the actual competition happens. Audi carved out more space for the cabin. It has better cargo space, leg room, and even shoulder room. The only element where Kia won over is the ample headroom, which is lacking in the A5 Sportback.
The dashboard is based on the MLB Evo platform. It includes the sat-nav as standard, though you can opt for the Virtual Cockpit. If only based on the dashboard, we have to choose the Sportback over the Stinger. There is no competition when it comes to Audi’s cockpit. It’s still the best in the market today.
5 Elements To Love About The 2017 Suzuki Ignis
It is not easy to stand out in the compact car segment, but it looks like the 2017 Suzuki Ignis is doing just that. Reviving what it calls the “light SUV,” Suzuki combines the charm and functionality of a truly compact SUV with the customization option you thought you’ll only find in the expensive Mini.
Here are the key features of the auto:
1. Customizable
One of the unique things about the Ignis is that it’s completely customizable. Just like the Vitara, you can choose what style you want your Ignis to have. Here are some options: grille, fog light bezels, and alloy wheels in white, orange, or blue; and mirror caps in white, orange, blue, red or black.
That’s only for the exterior. Inside, there’s another personalization kit you can choose. It’s a kind of a mix-and-match style we can only find in the Mini, though the Ignis offers this at a way lower price bracket. It also has a faster delivery since every customizable element has been dealer-fitted.
2. Spacious Enough
The space inside is generous for its width. There is plenty of headroom because of the tall roof, but front-row passengers will be more intimately seated close than in the regular-sized SUVs.
3. Affordable
The Ignis has a base model price of just $15,990, which is way, way below the average price we usually spend on compact cars and SUVs.
4. Simple
There are only two models to choose from—the entry-level GL with the option for a five-speed manual transmission or CVT automatic or the upscale GLX with the CVT automatic.
The GL has the following features: standard fabric seat trim, cruise control with speed limiter, leather-wrapped steering wheel, halogen headlights and fog lights, and 15-inch steel wheels with full wheel covers.
The GLX, on the other hand, packs these: keyless entry and start, electronic climate control, LED headlights, privacy glass, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, and 16-inch alloy wheels.
5. Decent Power
In terms of power, there is not much there, actually. The GL and GLX are both powered by a 1.2-liter four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 66kW and 120Nm of torque.
4 Things You’ll Want To Know About The 2017 Renault Alpine
The Renault Alpine won’t be coming to US shores. It will be strictly for the European market only, though how far into Europe, we still don’t know, too. If you will remember, in 2012, Alpine and Caterham partnered to develop a platform that can be used for future Renault Alpine and Caterham sports car.
While Caterham dropped the plans, Renault pushed through with it. The 2017 Renault Alpine is possibly the prototype for the sports car that’s about to come.
1. Identical To Alpine Vision And Celebration Concepts
Renault unveiled in the past couple of years two concepts—the Alpine Vision and the Celebration. The spy shots confirmed that the prototype looks very similar to these two concepts. The similarities can be seen on the lines on the hood, the headlight arrangement, and the tri-panels on the side windows.
This prototype is clearly reminiscent of the Alpine.
2. Might Be Called A120 Or AS1
There is still no confirmation, but there are rumors within the auto industry that the sports car will keep with the tradition and will call itself the A120 or the AS1. The A120 is a “throwback” to the Alpine A110 Berlinette that came out between 1961 and 1977.
3. Competition Is The Alfa Romeo 4C And Porsche 718 Cayman
What’s a sports car without competition? Renault’s Alpine sports car will have heavy competitions against the Alfa Romeo 4C and the Porsche 718 Cayman. It is likely that it will have a rear-wheel drive that is paired with a turbocharged inline-4. It should be able to produce 270 horsepower that will allow it to go 0-60mph in under five seconds.
4. Production Will Be In France
Unfortunately, not only is the production going to be in France alone, this won’t also be shipped to the US. Renault’s Dieppe plant in the north of France was recently retooled to be able to handle the assembly of the chassis and body of the Alpine sports car.
