Hyundai Reveals New Pictures of 2013 Santa Fe Ahead of NY Au

Hyundai Reveals New Pictures of 2013 Santa Fe Ahead of NY Au

 

The slow unveiling of the third generation Santa Fe continues today with another set of images, with Hyundai this time showing us bits and pieces of the real life model instead of renderings.

The all-new Santa Fe will have its world premiere at the 2012 New York International Auto Show in early April and go on sale in most markets around the globe before the end of the year.

According to the South Korean automaker, the 2013 Santa Fe adopts its own design concept called "Storm Edge", which the company says, "captures the strong and dynamic images created by nature during the formation of a storm".

In reality, the new Santa Fe is less chunky with more refined lines than the model it replaces.

In one of the teaser images of the interior that we discovered, we see that it will have seating for seven in three rows of seats.

We're still in the dark about the available engine range, though a leaked document from the South Korean market model revealed that it in certain regions such as Europe, the new Santa Fe will be offered with a revised 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine delivering 222hp (225PS) and 500Nm (369 lb-ft) of peak torque.

New Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Sports Bi-Turbocharged V12 with 6

New Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Sports Bi-Turbocharged V12 with 6

 

You would be inclined to believe that Mercedes-Benz had the top end of the market covered with its new 2013 SL63 AMG that's motivated by a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 producing 530hp (537PS) in standard form and 556hp (564PS) with the optional AMG Performance Package.

Well, that's not the case as there's always a number of buyers who don't mind paying something extra to get more of everything and here's where the flagship SL65 AMG fits in.

Under the bonnet, there's an updated version of Mercedes-Benz's 6.0-liter bi-turbo V12 engine sporting new turbochargers, manifolds and an exhaust system that's 3.2kg (7 pounds) lighter.

The twelve-cylinder engine's output is up by 18hp to 621hp (630PS) available from 4,800 to 5,400 rpm while peak torque stands at 1,000Nm (737 lb-ft) between 2,300 and 4,300 rpm.

An AMG SPEEDSHIFT PLUS 7G‑TRONIC with four different driving modes including Controlled Efficiency (C), Sport (S), Sport plus (S+) and Manual (M), transfers power to the rear wheels.

As with the rest of the SL range, the use of an all-aluminium bodyshell results in a significant reduction in weight with the new SL65 AMG being some 170kg (375 pounds) lighter than before. Of course, with a curb weight of 1,950kg (4,300 pounds) the SL65 AMG is no featherweight either.

Mercedes quotes a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time of 4.0 seconds with the 200 km/h mark attained after just 11.8 seconds. The roadster model's top speed is electronically limited at 250 km/h.

Not that any typical buyer of an SL65 AMG will care about the car's fuel consumption, but nevertheless, according to Mercedes, it returns a combined economy of 11.6lt/100, equal to 20.3mpg US or 24.4mpg UK.

The new SL 65 AMG also gets Merc's ABC active suspension system, beefier brakes with six-piston fixed calipers up front and single-piston sliding callipers at the rear, a 3-stage ESP, and 19-inch wheels wrapped in tires size 255/35 at the front axle and 285/30 at the rear.

The market launch of the new SL 65 AMG will take place in September 2012 with pricing in Germany (including 19% tax) starting from €236,334 (US$308,580). Mercedes has not yet announced U.S. pricing.

Mercedes SL 65 AMG (2012)

Mercedes SL 65 AMG (2012)

 

If you're wondering why Mercedes is persisting with a twelve-cylinder SL in this downsizing era, understand this: the new 2012-spec SL65 AMG exists purely because many buyers at this end of the market demand more of everything.

So a Mercedes SL65 AMG with a hulking bi-turbo 6.0-litre V12 has been launched for customers in China, the Middle East and other emerging markets, where millionaires are numerous and fuel prices less of an impediment to sizeable sales.

Over here, we'll just ogle the price tag well into six figures and stick with the big-selling SL350 or SL500. Merc reports next to zero demand for diesels, hybrids or four-cylinders at this lofty end of the market.
Mercedes SL65 AMG (2012): the lowdown

The SL65 AMG slots above the already fleet-of-foot SL63 AMG. It's predictably fast – the new SL is around 170kg lighter than before, and 621bhp and 737lb ft mean it's epically rapid. This is no flyweight, though; it weighs in at a chunky 1950kg.

Nought to sixty-two takes four seconds and it'll whisk past 125mph in 11.8sec on its way to a limited 155mph top speed. Derestricted, it would surely pass the double-tonne.

That lighter weight helps trim economy to 24.4mpg – 17% less thirsty than before. Merc claims it's the cleanest twelve-cylinder engine on the market, with CO2 emissions of 270g/km.
How to spot the new SL65 AMG

Anoraks, take note. You can differentiate the new AMG by its high-sheen chrome styling bar on the front spoiler – and Stuttgart is calling this 'the new AMG brand face'.

The twin-blade radiator grille is chromed, the Merc badge sitting proudly on it, and there are newly accented AMG daytime running lights, fins on the wings, and a diffuser-effect rear apron. Plus those V12 bi-turbo badges, obviously.

Nineteen-inch alloy wheels are shod in 285/30 tyres at the business end, lending the SL65 AMG a menacing air. They're even available with optional 'matt black with a high-sheen rim flange'. Crikey.

VW Passat Alltrack 4motion (2012)

VW Passat Alltrack 4motion (2012)

 

Volkswagen is launching its own cut-price rival to those mud-loving Allroad models from Audi in May 2012 – the new Passat Alltrack 4motion.

It's a Passat estate in a Barbour and green wellies, its ride height hoiked up and with 4motion all-wheel drive boosting traction for soft-roading and pulling horseboxes over slippery grass.

VW quotes a two-tonne towing capacity – 200kg greater than an equivalent Passat estate.
VW Passat Alltrack (2012): the lowdown

The Passat Alltrack comes only in diesel trim – with two different power outputs for its 2.0-litre TDI engine. It can be specced in 138bhp form or 168bhp. The lower-powered diesel comes with a six-speed manual transmission; the higher-powered model gets a six-speed DSG twin-clutch 'box.

Prices start at £28,475 for the entry-level car, the higher-powered Alltrack costs £31,025.

That compares favourably with an Audi A4 Allroad, which starts at £31,475 for a 2.0 TFSI Quattro, rising to nearly £37k for a 3.0 TDI. You can't currently buy an A6 Allroad in the UK, but a Skoda Octavia Scout with an identically powered 138bhp 2.0 TDI looks a tempting alternative at £22,720.

It's interesting that most competitors in this field are from the VW fold. Volvo and Subaru offer beefed-up estates with SUV pretensions, but it's arguably the Volkswagen empire which has exploited this niche most aggressively.
VW Passat Alltrack (2012): what do I get?

All new VW Passat Alltracks come with Alcantara upholstery, climate control, touchscreen sat-nav, DAB radio, cruiser control and 18in alloy wheels.

Both models achieve nearly 50mpg on the combined cycle, the lower-powered diesel model topping 49.6mpg, the 168bhp version 47.9mpg.
The welly-booted Passat goes on sale in UK dealers on 28 May 2012.

Rolls-Royce's revised Phantom meets bloggers

Rolls-Royce's revised Phantom meets bloggers

 

'Rolls-Royce only embraces new technology where it enhances the overall experience.' Reassuring words delivered calmly but assuredly in Germanic English by Jörg Bause, director of manufacturing for the Goodwood-based prestige car manufacturer.

Somewhat surprisingly this wasn’t a crowd pleasing-speech designed to rouse an audience of loyal clientele, but rather to a small congregation of seasoned Southern journalists, television news reporters and... bloggers?
A car launch free from professional motoring writers? Surely not...

For a marque as steeped in tradition as Rolls-Royce, the notion of it embracing the chattering Twitterati as a means of conveying its message sounds as incongruous as discovering your grandmother’s just uploaded a video clip of herself pulling off some sick parkour moves to YouTube via her iPad. The reality is that it was a shrewd manoeuvre for the pinnacle of the motoring hierarchy, acting as a pilot event for the whole BMW empire.

The event itself was a simultaneous unveiling of the subtly tweaked Phantom Series II: whilst the eager throng at the British headquarters observed the silk wrapping being peeled away from what is to become the centrepiece of Rolls-Royce’s Beijing motor show stand, a thousand kilometres away in Geneva, another Series II saloon was revealed to a larger crown of experienced motoring journalists.

Inviting enthusiastic amateurs and wannabe car scribes wasn’t a hollow concession as a favour to a select band of online scribblers who had happened to blog about Rolls in a positive light either. This was a genuine attempt to connect with a potentially powerful new outlet and measure its success.
Presumably there was a ‘look but don’t you dare touch’ policy?

Upon arrival, in addition to an appreciated flute of champagne, business cards were slipped into hands bearing the legend #PhantomSeriesII, the all-important hashtag to determine the tweet-reach of the 140 character musings and enthusings of the day.

Following Herr Bause’s dust sheet removal and positive encouragement from corporate communications manager Andrew Ball to explore the black Extended Wheelbase model before us, the process was simple: sit, touch, photograph, attach and tweet.

You would be forgiven for assuming that faced with the prospect of an eager swarm poring all over just the second example off the line of the Series II Phantom, Rolls-Royce staff would be wearing pained expressions and doing their utmost to hide their nerves. Not a bit of it. Smiles of encouragement, supported by queries of 'have you seen what this does?' ensured that every polished fillet of walnut, chromed lever, leather-enveloped surface and electrically-assisted feature was sampled and reported almost instantaneously on Twitter, much to the chagrin of dextrous thumbs and iPhone batteries struggling to cope with the volume of messages over a half hour burst.

Within minutes, the small group of bloggers had beamed into the timelines of over 25,000 tweeters, whereas the Rolls-Royce news from Geneva was considerably quieter by comparison; the shine of the Phantom’s launch in Switzerland vying for online attention from a wealth of other global debutants.

Maybe Herr Bause is onto something..

Hyundai Santa Fe (2012)

Hyundai Santa Fe (2012)

Hyundai will unveil its new Santa Fe SUV at the New York motor show in April 2012. The Koreans have committed to the Santa Fe name for its full-sized SUV, following on from its DM codename.

That's no surprise: Hyundai has shifted 2.6 million Santa Fes since launch in 2000.
What do we know about the new 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe?

Not a huge amount yet. Hyundai waxes lyrical about a new sub-division of its Fluidic Sculpture design language, dubbed the opaque Storm Edge.

As no real details are available about this design philosophy (beyond it 'captures the strong and dynamic images created by nature during the formation of a storm'), we'll grab a large pinch of salt and put that down as one of the trashier labels attached to a company's stylistic influence.
Still, looks quite smart in a Euro kind of way…

The third-generation Hyundai Santa Fe adopts the company's latest hexagonal grille and a barrage of styling lines along the flanks to make it stand out more.

Hyundai promises 'refinement, smartness and practicality' too, but otherwise, we'll have to wait until the New York auto show for more details.

Its April unveiling in the US points to a UK debut in showrooms here in autumn 2012.

Expect its market positioning to reflect today's model, which starts at just shy of £24,000 for a five-seat model. But many buyers in this segment plump for the seven-seat option, making these SUVs a viable alternative to a people carrier.

Toyota FT-Bh concept at 2012

Toyota FT-Bh concept at 2012

Toyota's news at the 2012 Geneva motor show was the world premiere of the FT-Bh small car – a Yaris-sized supermini that's 25% lighter than the existing supermini. The FT-Bh weighs in at 786 kilograms.

And if you're wondering about those smoothed-off looks, it's all down to aero. This small car has an admirable 0.235 drag coefficient.

The FT-Bh is basically the epitome of everything Toyota knows about small cars. While it has no immediate production intent, its thinking will help shape the superminis of tomorrow. We'd certainly look twice at a Yaris shaped like this, we reckon.
Toyota FT-Bh: the lowdown

This is another hybrid Toyota – naturally – and its 1.0-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine is paired to a full hybrid powertrain like on the Yaris hybrid for an average consumption of 135mpg and just 49g/km of CO2.

Considering this car is close in size to a Yaris (3985mm long, 1695mm wide, 1400mm tall), its emissions are roughly half that of a trad supermini, says Toyota.

Mated to a CNG engine, this powertrain would cut CO2 to just 38g/km, says Toyota. Add a plug-in element to the battery charging, and that tumbles to 19g/km. That's some claim.
How come the FT-Bh is so lightweight?

Thankfully, it's not down to exotic materials lurking on the pricey end of the periodic table. Toyota has cleverly stuck to existing materials to achieve that flyweight 786kg mass.

Thin pillars abound, to aid visibility and cut flab, and many of the learnings of the iQ are applied to this model. The engineers ended up in a virtuous circle where everything from climate controls to engines and suspension components could become lighter.

Helping achieve that low drag figure – and that tip-toe stance – are slender 145/55 R18 low rolling resistance tyres.