Ferrari 612

Crashing an exotic is bad enough, but locking your Ferrari 612 Scaglietti in an expensive garage at a Scottish Ferrari dealership only to find that it’s been destroyed by an axe-wielding intruder is something else entirely. This is, unfortunately, not a figment of our imagination.

The owner, Rajinder Singh, booked the car into the local Ferrari dealership garage to have a pump fixed and one would assume that Ferrari would take extensive measures to ensure the garage is safe, but as proved by this case, it wasn’t.

Not long after leaving the car for its repair work, the expensive GT-car had its windows smashed and the tires slashed by a knife when the intruder broke into the garage, but as for now, those are all the details we can bring you.

If there is a silver lining in this cloud of grey, it’s the fact that the whole event was captured on CCTV so arresting the man responsible should be a breeze for local police.

The owner had the following to say to the Daily Record: “This has been a nightmare. The car was just in the garage to get a pump fixed when this happened. The car costs £207,000 new and the damage will cost about £40,000 to get fixed. It is bad enough that this has happened but the garage have been useless. The whole thing is a bad joke. I gave the garage a car worth more than £200,000 and they give me back a car that is effectively written off. The police asked me if there could be anyone who has a grudge against me but the garage is miles from my home. No one would have known it was my car. The police say they have investigated, got no leads and say there’s nothing else they can do.”

And we cannot blame the owner for his frustration. If there are any eagle-eyed Scottish readers out there, keep an eye out!

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2016 BMW 5 Series

We have seen that Mercedes and Audi are working on next generation E-class and A6 respectively, then how could Bavarian Motor Works fall behind the competition? Following the competitors neck to neck, the all new BMW 5 series is getting ready for mid-2016 launch. The sedan version of this car is being called as G30 internally. Recently few renderings of the new beamer have emerged on AutoBild.de. Let’s check how the new 5 series is evolving in its next avatar.

The new design language, which we have seen on 3 series, upcoming X4 and X5, will be carried over to this beamer as well. The headlights, with corona rings, now extend till kidney grill and bulges a little as we move away from the grill. Front bumpers will house prominent air dams and could carry servo motors to control its opening. Over the past few iterations, tail lights have turned more slimmer every time and so does this time too. The new 5 series is expected to grow in size as its younger sibling, the 3 series, has grown considerably. Also company wants to create a new segment with the launch of 4 series and hence 5 series has to make space for the new kid. So expect roomier cabin than ever before in new 5 series with many pleasing technologies at your service inside the cabin.

For the first time BMW might use different platforms for the cars within the same series. Entry level variants, with 4 cylinder engine, may get lighter components like axles, brakes and radiators carried over from 3 series. Other variants with 6 or 8 cylinder engine will be getting more stiffer, rigid and hence a little heavy setup. According to the news, company also plans to offer a 150 hp-three cylinder engine in the 518i variant, for the first time in this segment. Along with this engine, 5 series may also get 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder power plants. All these mills are expected to share 60% parts in between them. Also diesel and petrol mills with similar configuration may share 40% parts amongst themselves.

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Jeep Grand Cherokee

New for the 2014 Grand Cherokee SRT is an eight-speed transmission that delivers power from the 6.4-liter HEMI engine via a fully electronic automatic mode or through redesigned steering-wheel paddle controls. The new package delivers improved 0-60 mph acceleration with quicker shift speeds. Eco Mode and Fuel Saver Technology complete the equation for both power and efficiency.

EXTERIOR DESIGN

Enhancements to the lighting, front fascia and wheels are some of the first exterior design elements noticed on the Grand Cherokee SRT . The front grille, headlights and taillights have taken on a unique “blacked out” look for the 2014 edition as well.

The colors offered on the Grand Cherokee SRT continue to grow each and every year. The 2014 lineup of colors on the Grand Cherokee SRT consists of several of the base colors taking on an identity all their own.

BREAKING SYSTEM

The brake system of the Grand Cherokee SRT is put through numerous rigorous tests in various real world and extreme race circuit environments to meet the exacting standards of SRT engineers. This battery of brake performance tests are designed to subject the vehicle to more torture than customers will ever likely encounter.When it came time to select the braking system for the Grand Cherokee SRT, the choice was pretty easy. In the high performance braking world, there is one name that stands out above the rest
Fresh air is essential in making big power. It’s also a key element in bringing the 5,150-pound Grand Cherokee SRT to a safe and predictable stop. With the help of forced-air cooling brake ducts, the performance SUV provides exceptional stopping power time after time by keeping its cool.
Ready even when you aren’t. That’s the purpose and function of the Ready Alert Braking system on the Grand Cherokee SRT. It’s the type of high performance technology that comes standard from SRT.

RIDE , HANDLING

The Selec-Track system provides drivers the ability to dial in precise driving settings with a simple flick of the wrist. Five distinct settings on Selec-Track allow drivers to match road conditions to desired vehicle handling dynamics in a moment’s notice.
Numerous SRT-specific components give the Grand Cherokee SRT a distinct handling advantage. These components and settings help the Grand Cherokee SRT achieve an impressive .90g lateral acceleration figure on the skidpad when equipped with the sticky P Zero tire option.

INTERIOR

SRT Performance Pages provide real-time data in a vivid 8.4-inch touchscreen. Performance Pages track: 0-60 mph time, one-eighth mile and quarter-mile runs, lateral and longitudinal G-forces, steering angle, horsepower and torque output, and 60-0 mph braking distance.
Available GreenEdge technology from Harman Kardon provides SRT vehicle owners an audio system as precise as the cars they drive. It’s a high-powered system that does not expend a lot of energy. GreenEdge employs efficient speaker and amplifier engineering to improve sound quality while diminishing energy consumption.
Style, functionality and authenticity were the main ingredients used during the interior design process of the all-new 2014 Grand Cherokee SRT®. Engineers, designers and stylists all had a hand in blending form and function to the eye-catching interior that has been created.

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Bentley Flying Spur

Try and forget the word ‘Continental’ when you’re thinking about Bentley’s latest super-luxury saloon. Yes, its predecessor may have been called the Continental Flying Spur, and this new car uses the same platform as the new Continental GT coupé. But Bentley has dropped the C-word because it wants you to know this is no longer merely a stretched version of its sporty two-door. 

There are a number of visual cues that point to this departure of the Flying Spur from the Continental brand. The headlights are still two pairs of circular, LED-encrusted intricacy, but this time the outer lamps are larger than the inner ones, for a look that’s more stately than sporty. The lower front air dam is a wide, continuous mesh of chrome bisected by a chrome band, and the grille appears to be more upright.

The roof flows more elegantly into the rear than the previous Spur, accentuated by a blockier, more regal-looking rump and thick, pronounced haunches. In fact, that simple but sinuous shoulder line is one of the car’s most attractive styling features.

Where it is still certainly worthy of being called ‘Continental’ is under the hood. There is currently only one powerplant for this car, and that is the full-fat 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12, wound up to a faintly ridiculous 616bhp and 81.6kgm of torque – in a luxury saloon! Bentley says that’s enough to yank nearly 2.5 tonnes of luxury to 100kph in just 4.6 seconds, and though we didn’t get a chance to run it against our testing gear, we doubt that’s far off the mark. This is no doubt helped by AWD and ZF’s fantastic eight-speed automatic. Feeling it take off the way it does for the first time can catch you off guard. It’s actually easier with the gearlever in Sport, because the response to throttle inputs here is more immediate. In normal Drive mode, it eases off the line gently, but then the torque suddenly comes in strong and that takes a little getting used to. From then on, it’s a seemingly unending surge to the redline. At 5.3m long and 1.9m wide, this is no lithe GT car – it’s an out and out limousine. But it must be said that it steers in a very composed and predictable manner for something its size; something it likely owes to its ‘Continental’ roots.

But of course, what matters most in a car like this is how well you’re pampered in the cabin. All four individual heated, cooled, reclining, massaging seats are superbly plush – wrapped in finely stitched leather with a pillow-soft top layer of cushioning. However, it must be mentioned, they are lacking slightly in thigh support. The cabin is a feast of leather, wood and metal, with fantastic details like push-pull metal switches for the air-con vents and the knurled metal on the gearlever, but this makes the few lower-quality bits stand out like sore thumbs. Things like the steering buttons, front touchscreen, and especially the suspension and seat heating buttons on the centre console, look like quick grabs from the VW parts bin.

The Flying Spur’s air suspension has a ‘raise’ mode to tackle the really nasty speed breakers – almost compulsory on a car with a three-metre wheelbase. The car effortlessly steamrolls just about any size of bump, with only sharp edges making their presence felt; although this is more a result of the massive 275/35 ZR21 tyres. Even in the stiffest of four suspension settings, it doesn’t feel at all uncomfortable. It’s also a very refined cabin (the W12 is barely audible till about 4,000rpm), but here too the tyres play spoilsport, and you can hear them slapping against every expansion joint once you pick up speed. On the whole, ride and refinement are far ahead of any of the ‘conventional’ luxury saloons, but still fall a shade shy of the Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Before you start specifying this Bentley to your taste, you’ll have to set aside the starting price of Rs 3.1 crore (thank revised import taxes for that). However, the upcoming S-class promises to do a lot more than the Bentley for around half the price, and is packed with much more tech. Objectively, it doesn’t quite add up, but if you’re among those who have the means and for whom the class and exclusivity of the Flying B is paramount, it’s worth signing that cheque.

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Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG

AMG cars are always special and the Mercedes SLK 55 AMG is no exception. The underlying formula is quite simple - take a regular car and stuff massive power into it - 416 horses in this case. It is a recipe guaranteed to excite. 

The mother of all these horses is the 5461cc V8 engine. Open the bonnet and you can see what a tight fit the V8 is in the SLK's compact engine bay. Add to that the fact that the SLK AMG has 115bhp more and is just 60kg heavier than the SLK 350, and you get an impression of just how much quicker the AMG variant is. But more than the power, it’s the motor's torque which pins you back in a firm linear shove. A 0-100kph time of 5.97sec in the convertible tells only half the story, because launching a front-engined, rear-drive car is not that easy. The more telling figure is the 0-200kph time of 18.71sec, which is quicker than the SLK 350 by a massive 7 seconds. Without a doubt, the SLK AMG has genuine sportscar pace. Yet, it is also very easy to drive. The gearbox has three modes, and in comfort mode it upshifts rapidly, keeping the revs low and the power manageable. There is a gear-shift indicator that tells you to shift up as you near the red line. That’s useful, although it’s rather hard to miss when the engine is approaching its 7000rpm limit as your brain will be distracted by the glorious noise coming from the exhaust pipe - especially with the roof down.

While the performance of the SLK 55 AMG sets your pulse racing, the ride and handling brings it back to normal. There is nothing really wrong per se, it is just that there exists a car called the Porsche Boxster S, which is what you should aim your wallet at if you want pure driving thrills. On its own, the SLK AMG is quite a capable car and sports a very safe handling package. The AMG version gets lowered sports suspension and this takes the handling up a notch over the standard car. Still, the chassis itself provides plenty of grip and responds well enough to driver input.

The SLK 55 AMG works well as a Grand Tourer (the limiting factor being the small boot of course), with its supple high-speed ride and strong motor. Though the low-speed ride is decent, there is quite a bit of scuttle and shake whenever you hit a rough patch. This is more apparent with the roof down.

On the inside, there aren’t many changes and you get the same high quality dash. There are the usual AMG additions like the red AMG sport seats, and carbon fibre on the doorpads and the centre console. On the outside, you get the AMG kit, which include the beautifully sculpted black wheels, skirts and a boot spoiler.

The Mercedes SLK 55 AMG is priced at Rs 1.26 crore. So, if you are looking for a car that entertains your senses every time you step on the gas, you can’t really go wrong with this Merc.

Ex-showroom price          Rs 1.26 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi) Engine Fuel Petrol Installation Rear-wheel drive Type 5461cc, V8 Power 416bhp at 6800rpm Torque 55kg Transmission Type AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic Gearbox 7-speed auto Dimensions Length 4146mm Width 1817mm Height 1300mm Wheel base 2430mm Boot volume 335 litres Chassis & Body Weight 1610kg Tyres 235/40 R18 (f), 255/35 R18 (r) Suspension Front Coil spring, double-tube gas pressure Rear Coil spring, single-tube gas pressure Steering Type Rack and pinion Type of power assist   Hydraulic  Brakes Front Sliding frame-type calipers with compound brake discs Rear Discs

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