Daily Archives: April 13, 2019
Nissan X-Trail Has New Petrol And Diesel Engines, Dual-Clutch Transmission
Nissan revamped the X-Trail’s engine lineup, introducing new petrol and diesel options, as well as an all-new dual-clutch transmission. Buyers can now get to choose either a 1.7-liter four-cylinder diesel or 1.3-liter four-cylinder petrol, both of which are already available in the Renault-Nissan Alliance line-up, particularly in the Nissan Qashqai and Renault Kadjar SUVs.
The 1.7-liter diesel engine makes 148 horsepower and 340 Nm of torque, replacing the SUV’s former engine—a 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel that has a standard front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission. The new engine will have a carbon dioxide emissions rating of 137-143g/km.
Those who want a four-wheel drive configuration will be happy to know this is now available as an option for the diesel engine. But opting for the all-wheel drive will affect the energy rating and fuel efficiency of the engine. The economy figure will drop to 39.8mpg from 41.5mpg while CO2 emissions rating will fall to 151-154g/km.
The new 1.3-liter petrol option will only be available with the DCT gearbox in the front-wheel-drive layout. It will replace a similar 1.6-liter petrol engine and will bring more power at 161 horsepower from 158 horsepower and 270Nm of torque instead of 240Nm. The Japanese carmaker claims that energy efficiency and emissions ratings have also been improved. The ratings now stand at 145–154g/km of CO2 instead of the old engine’s 162g/km of CO2.
Nissan also released price information about the new petrol and diesel engines. The 1.3-liter four-cylinder petrol unit will start from £26,590 ($34,787.72). The 1.7-liter diesel with its front-wheel-drive configuration will start at £25,795 ($33,747.62) but the four-wheel drive version will add an extra £3,200 ($4,186.56). Both of these engines are compliant to the Euro6d-Temp, which means car owners won’t have to pay an additional 4% surcharge over the mandatory Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax.
Mid-Engined C8 Corvette Is Coming On July 18
For years, a mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette was like a mystical creature we cannot fathom if real or not. But the 2020 C8 Corvette has just made its first public appearance in New York City with full-on leopard-print camouflage and towing General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter.
The production trim will be making its first public appearance on July 18 at a location that’s still to be determined. Expect the production version to be made available for sale next year. This new Corvette is the eighth generation of America’s greatest sports car and it features the most radical engineering change since it first debuted in 1953.
The change comes from moving the engine from under the hood (which made it possible for the car to have a shorter hood than most) to tucked between the passenger compartment and the rear wheels (as evident of the big air scoops ahead of the rear wheels).
Nearly all of the world’s fastest and most maneuverable cars put their engines behind the passengers. This setup allows the driver to better handle the car because the weight of the engine is in the middle, which means better balance and plenty of grip in corners. It also provides better traction for the rear wheels.
According to Car & Driver , the C8 Corvette will launch in Stingray trim, which will use an updated version of the car’s 6.2-liter V-8 engine that produces around 500 horsepower. There will be many high-performance options that we can choose from once the production version is ready. Sadly, a manual transmission is not in the mix.
The C7 Stingray has a starting price of $56,995. Some auto pundits predict that Chevrolet will increase that price by $5,000, putting the entry-level C8 Corvette in the $62,000 mark. Based on the projected specifications of the new mid-engined Corvette, that’s pretty reasonable.
The 2020 Audi S6 And S7 Will Sport Different Powertrains
Europe will still get to enjoy diesel powertrains courtesy of the new 2020 Audi S6 and S7. Both cars will sport different powertrains depending on where they will be sold. The European market will get the S6 and the S7 in a V-6 TDI engine while the North American, Asian, and other markets will receive the cars exclusively with gasoline-powered V-6 TFSI.
Previous models of the S6 and the S7 saw the cars only with gas-powered 4.0-liter TFSI V-8 but Audi decided to go the route of the SQ5 performance SUV for the 2020 S6 and S7.
The TDI engine will be paired with a mild hybrid system and it will be able to generate 349 horsepower and 700 Nm of torque. It can reportedly reach 62 mph in just five seconds flat for the S6 TDI and 5.1 seconds for the S6 TDI Avant and the S7 TDI. The top speed is identical for both cars with an electronically-limited 155 mph.
The diesel engines won’t require more than 6.5 l/100km / 36.1 mpg. This means you get to enjoy the performance without the engine gargling too much gasoline. This is the advantage of using a diesel performance car, the concept of which is quite alien to Americans.
The S6 and the S7 cars may be efficient and impressive in terms of performance and tech, but that doesn’t mean that Americans will love these two new offerings from Audi. Maybe if Audi will bring the diesel engines from Europe, the US market will feel enamored with the new cars but seeing as there will only be a gasoline-powered engine offering, Americans may look to other manufacturers.
The gasoline-powered S6 and S7 will source its power from a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine that can generate 444 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque.
Aston Martin DBX SUV Teases Design And New Platform
The Aston Martin DBX SUV is scheduled for release late this 2019, but as part of its early development, it was spied being tested on Germany’s Nurburgring. Though the car was heavily camouflaged, the spy shots showed that the DBX will be a four-door small SUV with sizing similar to the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.
Back in 2015, Aston Martin also used the DBX name for a 2015 concept that previewed the SUV’s design. There were rumors, back then, that the small SUV will arrive with different nomenclature. Varekai was one of the suggestions. Aston Martin stuck with the DBX name, linking the SUV with the DB line of sports cars that the automaker is known for.
Based on the spy shots of Motor Authority , the DBX SUV will come with a new platform that has been developed for a high-riding vehicle with capacities for off-road conditions. If you’re worried that the platform will change the design Aston Martin is known for, you need not fret. This new architecture follows the same extruded and bonded aluminum process that the company employs on its sports cars.
As usual, DBX is focused on improving its suspension technology which will address the SUV’s increased size and weight.
The SUV was first planned out as an electric car and for some time, it looked like Aston Martin will stay true to that route. But the plans have changed because of the revival of the Lagonda as an EV brand. Now, the DBX SUV is expected to arrive with a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, the same engine being used on the Mercedes-AMG.
For those who want an EV variant, a hybrid powertrain that uses the new V-6 engine developed by Aston Martin might also be in the works.
The DBX will start production this year at the plant in St. Athan, Wales, which is also going to be the site where the Rapide E electric sport sedan will be built. Later, two Lagonda models—an SUV and a sedan—will join the DBX in the site.
