Daily Archives: July 20, 2018
2019 Audi A8 Reveals Starting Price Of $84,795
The last time we have seen the 2019 Audi A8 flagship luxury sedan was more than a year ago, so we’re excited to get our hands on it this year. Audi revealed that the sedan will go on sale this fall with a starting price of $84,795.
To put it into perspective, that’s $150 more than the base rear-drive BMW 7 Series and about $3,000 less than the all-wheel-drive version. It’s also $6,000 less than the base rear-drive Mercedes S-Class.
If you think about it, the Audi A8 has quite a lot of value in terms of price. Its competitions from other countries are priced lower than it but once the taxes are measured and added, the amount could be staggering. The Lexus LS starts at under $80,000 while every version of the Cadillac CT6 is priced less than the Audi except for the CT6 Platinum, which is $85,290.
This base price refers to just one body style—the long wheelbase model. It is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that makes 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. This is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system. This is the only available engine for the A8 for now. If you want more power, a V8 version is coming next year.
The American version of the A8 will have a number of high-tech optional features, particularly a suspension that can raise and lower each wheel preemptively to better handle bumps, four-wheel steering, and an adaptive cruise control that can handle acceleration, braking, and steering at low speeds.
The adaptive cruise control is a hands-on system. This is not the same as the Level 3 semi-autonomous technology that the company used when it previewed the car. Because of legal issues, Audi is not yet ready to offer that system in the US.
3 Things We Learned From Seeing The Spy Shots Of 2019 Hyundai i40
Spy shots of the Hyundai i40 were taken and we’ve got the lowdown on what we can expect from the South Korean automaker’s midsized, Europe-facing sedan.
Exterior
When we said there were spy shots, it means that Hyundai did a very thorough job at covering the new i40. The images from TopSpeed show the car wrapped in heavy camouflage, so there’s no way to tell the tiny little details that make the reveals of car exciting. We can see the body style, of course, and we know it’s going to be a sedan with some fastback hints to it. A part of the front grille was revealed, too, featuring thin horizontal bars, though we’re pretty sure these are just placeholders for now.
The headlights gave us a little peek, but it doesn’t look like it’s similar to past models. This could be a completely new set of lights as it doesn’t even resemble the pair we saw on the i40 wagon spotted testing last month.
Interior
We could not see the i40’s interior, but we believe that there won’t be any dramatic changes from the cabin we saw in the i30. We know they came from completely different segments, but there are enough similarities to justify their cabins looking the same.
If there will be a change, it’s going to be the layout since the vertical layout from the latest model is outdated. The i40 should have the same horizontal layout as the i30 with the center console touchscreen located high on the dashboard. The infotainment controls should surround the screen, making it look sleeker and slimmer.
Seating configuration would probably be the same, though we hope that Hyundai fits the i40 with new seats—preferably, something more premium and comfortable than the old one.
Drivetrain
The new i40 won’t be a next-generation model, so it will have the same lineup of engines. It should have quite a number of different engine options. Currently, it offers a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gas engine that produces 133 horsepower, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes either 164 horsepower or 150 horsepower, and a high-spec 2.0-liter gas engine that can churn out 176 horsepower or 162 horsepower.
For the diesel, the i40 should have the same 1.7-liter four-cylinder engine with three different power outputs: 113 horsepower, 137 horsepower, and 139 horsepower.
Nissan Leaf Nismo Sport Version Will Go On Sale This Month
The Nissan Leaf Nismo is finally going on sale this month. The Japanese automaker said the Nismo version will be available by the end of this month in Japan. There’s no news yet on an international rollout, though we expect the dates to be announced soon.
Nissan and Nismo, the automaker’s motorsports and in-house tuning division, have been teasing us with the prospect of making a new Leaf for a while. They made true to their promise and has announced the debut date of the Nissan Leaf Nismo.
The Leaf got a much-needed design refresh from the release last year. It still didn’t make it attractive for some but to be fair, Nissan’s electric vehicle has come a long way from how it looked during the company’s first few versions.
Exterior
The Nismo sport version is giving the Leaf an upgrade in terms of the exterior. It now has a more aggressive and sportier design. It features the layered double wings that are the character of the Nismo road car series. It will improve downforce without compromising the drag coefficient, according to a statement from Nissan. There’s also a set of custom 18-inch aluminum wheels that minimize air resistance.
There are nine body colors available, including the Nismo series’ custom Brilliant Silver/Super Black two-tone and Dark Metal Grey/Super Black two-tone. Both come with a metallic finish.
Interior
The cabin has a sporty appearance as it uses Nismo’s custom red accents, including the three-spoke steering wheel with a red center mark. The instrument panel has a custom carbon-like finish while the electronic shift has a gunmetal chrome finish.
The Leaf Nismo’s 18-inch high-grip tires and custom suspension system assures a comfortable ride and stable handling. The custom-tuned electric power steering and Intelligent Trace Control for cornering stabilization system provide high stability and lane-tracing abilities.