Archive for the ‘New Models’ Category

The New Porsche Cayenne S Diesel

Posted: September 12, 2012 by The Car Spy in General, New Models, Porsche
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It is 10 years now since Porsche launched the Cayenne and although it has never been regarded as the prettiest SUV on the market it has maintained a hardcore following who appreciate the trademark Porsche build quality and powerful engine derivatives.

The diesel version has been with us for a while now and has proven to be a favourite choice for those looking to get into Cayenne ownership. The engine is torquey and frugal and you can spec the car up to look like a million dollars.

In order to keep up with the flurry of new SUV’s appearing on the market over the coming year or so , including the new Range Rover, Porsche have breathed a bit of fire into the diesel version and have launched the Cayenne S Diesel.

The S Diesel is fitted with a 4.2 litre V8 twin-turbo power unit that produces 382 hp but more importantly a tree-stump-pulling 850 Nm of torque which gives it more grunt than any other Cayenne in the range. Performance figures from Porsche indicate that the car will take 5.7 seconds to reach 62 mph on to a maximum speed of 157 mph. The fuel consumption is claimed to average 34 mpg so it looks like you get close to having the best of everything in this version of the Cayenne. It is also supposed to make a nice noise too but we will reserve judgement until we have driven the car for ourselves before we comment.

What else extra do you get over a ‘standard’ diesel? An auto start/stop function (sorry, hate those things), Porsche Traction Management, Porsche Vectoring Plus, 100 litre fuel tank (giving a range of 745 miles), Silver brake calipers, Black front intake grilles and nice ‘Diesel’ badges on the front wings to remind you what engine is under the bonnet. Think I would go for a de-badged option personally.

Prices in the UK will start at £58243 and standard equipment will include a Leather interior, Dual-zone climate control, Front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, Audio system with 7″ touch-screen, 8-way powered front seats and 18″ alloy wheels.

As usual Porsche will be offering a complimentary driving course at the Porsche Experience Centre in Silverstone which is well worth a visit.

For more information on the new Cayenne S Diesel or any other Porsche model give The Car Spy a call on 01732 760699 or email sales@thecarspy.net

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New Audi RS5 Cabriolet

Posted: September 7, 2012 by The Car Spy in Audi, New Cars, New Models
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A convertible option for the Audi RS 5 will be available early 2013 in Germany where its base price will be 88500 euros (£70154 as at 6.9.12). UK-specific pricing has yet to be confirmed and will be announced nearer to the start of customer ordering later this year. For further information give The Car Spy a call on 01732 760699 or email sales@the carspy.net.

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The New Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S

Posted: August 27, 2012 by The Car Spy in General, New Models, Porsche
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It seems so long ago now that the 991 911 went on sale – it’s not actually, it is less than a year but just seems much longer – it is easy to overlook the fact that the four-wheel drive version on the latest incarnation of the 911 has been missing for a while now. After the usual frenzy of ‘leaked’ and ‘exclusive’ images on the Internet Porsche has finally officially released details of the Carrera 4 and 4S in both Coupe and Cabriolet versions.

Porsche claim that the AWD chassis gives the best of all worlds with better traction, roadholding and chassis dynamics and there is no reason to doubt that of course. Historically the choice between whether to go for a C2 or C4 has been based on personal preferences. Do you like a bit of wiggle in the tail or are you more concerned with achieving grip whatever the driving conditions? Some might say that the former is preferred because of the additional driver involvement but there is a market especially these days for four-driven wheels as opposed to just two. Porsche gives you that choice with the 911.

The C4 and 4S have the traditional wider rear wheel arches and in the 991 they are 22mm wider than the C2. The rear tyres are 10mm wider too. Take a look at the rear of the car and you will see that some tweaking has taken place with the appearance of a ‘signature red light band’ according to the company. Not sure what this adds in terms of appeal but hey ho.

Much of the specification of the C4 variants match the C2 so engines and respective performance figures remain unchanged i.e. more than adequate and likely to satisfy the most demanding of drivers.

Inside the new car there is an ‘all-wheel-drive indicator’ in the instrument cluster which lets you know how much torque is being sliced and diced between the front and rear axles. Useful? Probably not since the eyes are more likely to be swapping between focusing on revs, speed and the road ahead (and behind) – anything else is an unnecessary distraction.

Porsche is also introducing Adaptive Cruise Control across all models in the range and when combined with the PDK transmission customers will get the ACC plus Porsche Active Safe (PAS) which helps to prevent front-end collisions.

A new sliding glass sunroof has been added to the options list and if customers order the Sport Chrono Pack with the manual gearbox they can expect a tad more responsiveness because in Sport Plus mode the system automatically double-declutched during down-shifts. Nice.

The new Carrera 4 and 4S models will be shown for the fist time at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show and will go on sale in the UK December this year. Prices will start at £77924 for the Coupe and the Cabriolet from £86583.

For further details of the new 911 Carrera 4 and 4S or any other Porsche model give The Car Spy a call on 01732 760699 or email sales@thecarspy.net

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The New Bentley Continental GT Speed

Posted: August 22, 2012 by The Car Spy in Bentley, General, New Models
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Bentley seem to be on a roll these days. There has probaly never been a wider choice of cars from their Continental, Mulsanne and Flying Spur ranges and travelling at plus or minus 200 mph seems to be the order of the day for the cars from Crewe.

It seems appropriate therefore that the company should be adding the moniker ‘Speed’ to the fastest car they have ever produced. Enter the new Bentley Continental GT Speed.

With 616 bhp on tap the car has a top speed of 205 mph (330 kph) and can gallop to 100 mph from standstill in a mightily impressive 9 seconds. In the time it has taken Usain Bolt to complete 100 metres the Bentley is a  1/4 mile away from the start-line. OK Usain is not a machine but it just puts into perpective how quickly the GT Speed can cover long distances.

Of course there are several ‘supercars’ that are more than capable of beating the Bentley in a straight line these days but there are not many that can do it with the panache and drama-free way the Crewe car does. If the car could speak it would be telling its driver to sit back and relax while it effortlessly hauls in the horizon.

The uprated twin-turbo W12 is now mated to an 8-speed ZF transmission and a big dollop of torque – 800 Nm – so that the thrust is instantly accessible and makes overtaking a blink-of-an-eye manoeuvre. To help cope with the extra power the chassis has been tweaked with uprated springs, dampers, anti-roll bars and steering. The exhaust has also been tuned to create the appropriate deep, sporty note under hard acceleration – if it is as nice as the V8’s noise then it will be a very interesting car in tunnels too.

If you are buying a ‘Speed’ GT instead of a non-Speed alternative then you might expect some cosmetic differences too. These will include 21″ ten-spoke alloy wheels, dark tint matrix radiator shell and lower bumper grilles and ‘rifled’ exhaust tailpipes.

The interiors come with the Mulliner Driving Specification featuring perforated, quilted leather and bright metal detailing plus the inevitable bits of carbon fibre. In other words they will look a tad luxurious and expensive.

To help calm your nerves after parting with your tidy sum to buy a GT Speed you will be uplifted by the thought that the new car offers up to a 12% improvement in fuel economy and CO2 emissions over the previous W12 powerplant. Confirmed pricing for the GT Speed will be announced in due course.

In the meantime if you would further details of the new Bentley Continental GT Speed give The Car Spy a call on 01732 760699 or email sales@thecarspy.net

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The Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe Aviator Collection

Posted: August 19, 2012 by The Car Spy in New Models, Rolls Royce
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Charles Stewart Rolls was also a bit taken with aircraft it seems. Long before his cars were to become world famous he was hanging out with the Wright brothers and it turns out that he was only the second person in Britain to hold a pilot’s licence.

Rolls continued his association with the fast-developing aviation industry and his engines were to power the Schneider Trophy winning Supermarine S6B in the early 1930’s which was powered by his R Type engine. The Supermarine was the forerunner of the Spitfire.

To celebrate this historic association Rolls Royce has launched a limited edition of the Phantom Coupe by producing 35 Aviator Collection models.

Each one will be finished in Aviator Grey with contrasting matt bonnet, window and grille surround while the interior has been given many design references to aviation cockpit design. There is Mahogany, Sapele wood and metal a-plenty plus a Thommen aviation-grade clock complemented by matt black dials for the speedo, power reserve and fuel gauges.

The transmission tunnel is finished in anodised aluminium with design features that replicate the shapes associated with the S6B fuselage.

To finish off the bespoke look of the interior there is a chrome plaque on the centre console with an inscription of Charles Rolls’s signature.

Sadly Charles Rolls was also the first British person to be killed in an aircraft accident and he was only 32 years old!

No pricing details have been announced as yet by the company but the car has made its first public showing at Pebble Beach in California.

For further information of the Aviator Collection Phantom or any other Rolls Royce model give The Car Spy a call on 01732 760699 or email sales@thecarspy.net

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