Falcon GT F 351

The muscular cular ‘351’ GT F is a nostalgic tribute to a long line of Ford street fighters. A big part of its appeal is the fact that it makes 351kW.

But it doesn’t.

Most of the time, except in first gear, or when the ambient temperature is high, the GT F pumps out 404kW.

What? A car that produces more than the people selling the car say it will?

What madness is this?

It makes 404kW due to something called transient overboost, which is another way of saying the supercharged engine goes bananas and produces an extra 15 per cent of power for 15 to 20 seconds.

Because it can’t do it all the time, in all conditions, Ford chooses not to count the extra power in its official power figure.

TopGear has previously written about this mysterious source of extra power, but this is the first time Ford has gone on record and admitted its existence.

The good news for some FPV owners is that the transient overboost function is not limited to the 351 GT F, but is present on every single Australian-developed supercharged 5.0-litre V8 FPV has sold since it was introduced in 2010.

The soon to be reintroduced XR8, which will be launched in November, will also feature the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 with the transient overboost feature.

FPV insiders suggest the 351 GT F can blast from 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds. This is around 0.2 seconds faster than the GT R-SPEC, which was the fastest GT to that point thanks to its wider rear tyres.

Development testing suggested a 0-400m sprint time of 12-something seconds for the final GT F, which is damn fast.

TopGear was given a little taste of the GT F, including a couple of fast starts and a few laps at 160km/h on the banked oval at Ford Australia’s You Yangs proving ground south west of Melbourne.

We also went for a handling circuit ride with one of Ford’s crazy-fast development drivers, who was able to show that, in the right hands, the final GT is able to go blindingly fast around corners as well as in a straight line.

The GT F gains all of the suspension upgrades of the R-SPEC car, which includes nine-inch wide rear tyres (instead of eight-inch) and a full range of suspension upgrades to dramatically improve the handling of the big Ford.

It also gets six-piston front Brembos and four piston calipers at the rear.

The engine upgrades were done without any mechanical changes, instead relying on clever software tweaks to gain the extra grunt.

Ford developed a special exterior design, complete with a single wide stripe that runs over the bonnet, roof and boot and it also blacked out the door handles, wing mirrors, parts around the headlights and the rear spoiler.

There are a range of changes on the inside, the seats have special stitching and 351 embroidered in the headrests, there are unique black plastic trim bits and a special instrument cluster. Nerds will love the digital gauges on the centre screen, showing things like boost pressure and even G-forces. Ford suggests these gauges are for the passengers rather than the driver, who should be paying attention to the road instead.

FPV customers love badges with big numbers on them, so there are 351 badges for the boot and on the front quarter panels next to the front wheels.

We suggest owners order some spare badges because there is a good chance they’ll go missing at some stage.

Ford will make 500 GT F 351 sedans for Australia and another 50 for the Kiwis. Almost all of these have already been sold despite a considerable price of $77,900.

It will also produce 120 Pursuit utes (20 for the Kiwis), which have most of the 351 GT F features, but run a 315kW engine from the GS instead. These cost $52,990.

It only gets the less mental engine because the leaf-sprung ute already has trouble getting power to the ground with the 315kW version of the Miami V8 and engineers suggested fitting the ute with the 351kW (or 404kW) engine would have been pure madness.

Check out Top Gear Australia magazine for a more detailed test drive of the last ever GT Falcon.

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Harley-Davidson LiveWire Electric Bike

Dyed-in-the-leather Motor Company faithful who had their worlds rocked by water-cooled V-Rods and rolled by made-in-India Street models may want to sit down for this one—Harley-Davidson, that pillar of conventional, conservative, American cruiser-style motorcycles, has built an electric bike. Now we know for sure that pigs—or Hogs, at least—can fly.

Called Project LiveWire, this sleek eBike is sure to send a shockwave through Harley-Davidson's existing consumer base—if not through the entire motorcycle industry. And that's a good thing. Following on the heels of the Dark Custom series and the entry-level Street lineup, Project LiveWire is the latest salvo in Harley-Davidson's both-barrels-blazing effort to attract new, younger, and different customers to the bar-and-shield brand.

"America at its best has always been about reinvention," said Matt Levatich, H-D President and COO. "Like America, Harley-Davidson has reinvented itself many times in our history, with customers leading us every step of the way. Project LiveWire is another exciting, customer-led moment in our history."

The bike you see in these images is not a final product intended for sale—at least not yet. It's a development prototype intended to gather input about riders' expectations for an electric Harley-Davidson motorcycle. (Did you know you had any expectations for an electric Harley-Davidson?) Just like with the Project Rushmore touring bike revision, Harley-Davidson is soliciting an unprecedented amount of consumer input into the development of its first electric motorcycle. All summer long, consumers across the country will be given the opportunity to ride the LiveWire at over 30 Harley-Davidson dealers—or participate in a "simulated riding experience" called Jumpstart, if you're a non-riders—and give feedback that will directly shape the future of Harley-Davidson's eBike. "Longer term plans for retail availability of Project LiveWire will be influenced by feedback from riders along the Project LiveWire Experience tour," the company says.


Very little is known about the LiveWire at this time and Harley shared no specifications, except to promise "tire-shredding acceleration" and a unique "fighter jet" sound unlike any existing internal combustion or electric motorcycle. The design is more naked musclebike than any current Harley-Davidson cruiser, with what appear to be 17-inch wheels, disc brakes front and rear, a substantial inverted fork, and centrally mounted rear monoshock. We know nothing about motor or battery technology except to note that the area described by what we presume is the battery box is quite large, with space for enough cells to provide at least the industry-standard 12-15 kWh capacity, delivering range and performance on-par with well-developed products from Brammo or Zero. Many small details including the triple clamps, rearsets, and unique combination mirrors/turn signals appear to be hand crafted and exquisite. We expect to learn more next week, when we'll have an opportunity to ride the LiveWire ourselves.


This is big news. Who would have thought it would be Harley-Davidson—not Honda or one of the other big four, or even BMW—who would be the first established OEM to announce an eBike? This is just further evidence of how focused Harley-Davidson is on constantly reinventing itself to remain relevant for the next 110 years of its history. We look forward to riding the LiveWire next week, and getting our first glimpse at what the future of Harley-Davidson looks like from the behind the handlebars.

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Mercedes Benz GLA 200 CDI

This is the new Mercedes GLA crossover – an interesting car for all sorts of reasons, and a rival for the Audi Q3 and BMW X1. This is more of a crossover hatchback than a compact SUV – it has up to 185mm of ground clearance, but the silhouette and driving position of a fairly large hatchback rather than of a typical 4x4.

The car you see here is a GLA 200 CDI, which comes with front-wheel-drive and a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearboxes (Indian cars are likely to get only the auto). Power comes from an up-rated version of the same 2,143cc turbo-diesel used in the A 180 CDI and B 180 CDI, which in this car makes 134bhp and 30.55kgm of torque. India is also slated to get the GLA 220 CDI, which uses the same engine, but with outputs of 168bhp and 35.67kgm.

It’s refined, economical, comfortable and pleasant – albeit not as practical and convenient as some. Mercedes’ 2.1-litre diesel is a good choice for the GLA, showing off much better manners under the bonnet of this compact crossover than it does in other applications.

The engine is a little bit clattery at idle and shudders slightly on restart, but is quiet and smooth at normal operating revs, and even revs with a commendable lack of coarseness. It hits its peak torque at just 1,400rpm, and is seldom short on pulling power or insistent on a lower gear to negotiate a short climb or a typical highway overtake.

The car steers precisely, with little effort necessary through the rim, but little feedback flowing through it either. It makes for a relaxed, easy-going driving experience complemented well by ride quality that’s much more supple and absorbent than we’ve found in any of Mercedes’ other new-generation compact cars.

In the UK, ‘Comfort’ suspension comes as standard on ‘SE’-grade cars, and it deals with bumpy and broken surfaces very calmly indeed. Even the ‘Sport’ suspension, fitted as standard to AMG Line models, allows the GLA a considerably better isolated cabin than any A-, B- or CLA-class model – as another test car proved.

The GLA’s driving position is recumbent by SUV standards, and its ride height and visibility relatively ordinary. That low profile makes for quite clean, balanced and wieldy handling; on the flipside of the equation, you’ll find more cabin- and boot space, and a higher access point, elsewhere in the compact SUV class.

But you won’t find much better fuel economy. From a mixed route taking in mountain roads and expressway, our GLA 200 CDI test car returned just over 17.5kpl, thanks in part to a class-leading drag coefficient.

When it comes to a buying decision, it depends if you find the idea of a premium-brand crossover more appealing than that of a more upright compact SUV. This tester suspects many will, once they realise that the Mercedes GLA provides as much space and capability as they really need, combined with impressive performance, efficiency, quality and brand allure.

There’s certainly little wrong with this particular execution of Mercedes’ premium crossover concept, and plenty to like about a car we’d confidently describe as the best yet to come from Daimler’s new compact generation.

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Mercedes-Benz S 350 CDI

The new S-class is a byword for innovation and luxury. Not just a super-luxury sedan, but a rolling technology demonstrator on wheels, the new S-class has gone straight to the top of its class. The twin-turbo V8 engine in the S 500 is creamy smooth and effortless, and has all the refinement you would expect. That car’s Rs 1.36 crore (ex-showroom, Mumbai) price tag, however, also reflects its status as the ‘Best car in the World’. Mercedes, ever the democrat, has now launched a more affordable, more efficient and slightly lesser-equipped edition – this S 350 CDI.

 

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI on the outset looks the same as its much more expensive petrol powered sibling. The large swept back LED headlamps combined with the massive chrome grille are not just imposing to look at, but command instant respect from everybody on the road. Although the shade of black that this particular S-Class is in does tend to subdue the fine lines of this rather massive car, the sheer length and width of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI is enough to make everyone strain to take a second look. Mercedes-Benz have omitted the handsome diamond cut wheels that you get on the more expensive S500 for a set of rather plain looking multispoke 18-inch wheels.

The main difference between the S500 and the S350 CDI on the exterior front though is at the rear. While the S500 gets a slightly sportier rear bumper with built in trapezoidal exhaust tips, the diesel gets a conventional bumper with a hidden exhaust pipe setup. The LED festooned tail lamps though continue to be a common feature and as with the S500, the S350 uses only LED bulbs though the entire car completely omitting conventional lighting techniques.

First impressions of the car are just as strong as that of the petrol S 500. It looks stately and sleek at the same time, with those striking led headlamps and the big Mercedes chrome grille giving it a lot of presence.

 

With a diesel under the hood, you can’t expect petrol engine-like refinement, but start up and idle are  astonishingly good for a diesel. There is a hint of a hum, if you mute the audio and set the AC fan speed to one, and it’s only when you extend the diesel engine and pull it hard that the serene calm of the cabin gets ever so slightly disrupted. But otherwise this motor is so creamy smooth, you don’t realise it is a diesel most of the time. As always, the double-glazed glass and the incredible sound insulation keeps you at arm’s length from the outside world.

The 3.0-litre diesel V6 is as you can expect from a Mercedes, and with 255bhp and 63.2kgm to haul the car around, is pretty brisk too. As is befitting a car of its stature, there’s no solid shove from the motor, but instead a smooth long surge that seems to go on and on. The mid range is particularly strong and allows you to reach silly speeds without realising, before you run into the somewhat low 4,200rpm redline. The seven-speed automatic works well for slow driving and highway cruising, shifting gears unobtrusively. Set the car to sport mode and the engine responses and gearshifts quicken, but it’s here that you notice that Mercedes’ 7G-Tronic torque converter auto is not quite as quick, clever or responsive as some of the more modern luxury gearboxes around.

 

Otherwise the new S-class is luxury car travel at its brilliant best. Once you sink into those big seats and shut the doors after you, you’re in your own world. The attention to detail is breathtaking – the wood and chrome look like they belong together, the graphics on the multi screen COMAND system make you feel you are piloting an Airbus A380, and quality levels are right up there with Bentley. Getting into the rear of the car is even nicer. You don’t get the same split rear cabin as the petrol, but the two individual electric ‘seats’ that form the bench are still reclinable, heated, cooled and massaging. They don’t recline as far back as in the petrol, but they’re still super soft and comfortable, and the ability to move the front passenger seat forward 77mm for truly excessive legroom is still available. What’s more, flip up the centre armrest and there’s room for a third passenger as well. Now, apart from the super-luxury rear seats, some of the kit from the petrol version is missing from the S 350 CDI, but it’s nothing of tremendous consequence to the luxury experience. There’s only a rear camera instead of the 360-degree setup, the wood trim is missing from the steering wheel, the 18-inch alloy wheels are different, the boot lid isn’t power operated, there’s no night vision system, and the Burmester hi-fi system is a few speakers down (it still sounds phenomenal though).  No car in the world blends high technology and old world charm quite like the new S-class, and that’s evident on this diesel as well.

Interior

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI’s interiors are a brilliant place to be in. From its strangely likable two spoke steering wheel wrapped in leather and festooned with high quality aluminum, to its four prominent AC vents that would look right at home on a bespoke Rolls-Royce, the S-Class is clearly built to delight. The large comfortable leather seats up front offer a level of luxury that makes one want to curl up into a ball and fall asleep.

The two large LCD screens that form the instrumentation cluster and the central command system are both crisp and offer a range of options to play around with.That said, as with the S500 we drove earlier, the actual operating system in the S-Class does feel a little outdated and repetitive as it is the same one used in all other models too. With Apple’s CarPlay operating system expected to make an appearance inMercedes-Benz models a little later in the year, one can expect that to change.

As the S350 CDI is a lot cheaper than the S500, Mercedes has omitted a few key features that do seem to take away from the S-Class’s glamour. Most annoyingly, especially for a hot country like India,Mercedes-Benz has gotten rid of the cooled front seat option while keeping the heated seat package untouched. Mercedes has also omitted the electronic boot controller, which means that one has to manually shut the bootlid, which, on a S-Class is just ridiculous. Forget the uber cool ‘leg swipe’ feature that opens and shuts the boot on the S500, even a button to shut the boot is absent!

Other omissions include the rear central console that incorporated features like built in laptop tables.The rear captain seats too have been ditched in favor of a bench setup. That said, the rear seats still get electronic adjustment that lets them recline and a cooling seat option, which is absent in the front. Thankfully, the phenomenal Burmester audio system is still there and converts the S-Class into the Royal Opera house wherever commanded.

Engine

Now to the important bits. How does the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI drive? Well, one could have expected a diesel engine to be noisy and unrefined, but then you realize you are in a S-Class. The only time you can realistically hear the engine is if you mute the music and lower the air conditioning fan speed to minimum. The refined 3.0-litre, twin turbocharged, V6 engine makes a healthy 262PS of peak power and 620Nm of peak torque. Mated to the 7G-Tronic Plus seven speed dual clutch gearbox, the S350 CDI can go from 0-100kmph in a claimed 6.8 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 250kmph.

Not only does the power delivery feel instantaneous as it ought to, the S350 CDI does everything that it is commanded to do with no fuss at all. There is no hint of turbo lag whatsoever even in the relaxed comfort mode.  In fact, the way the S-Class in general wafts on Indian roads is nothing short of the kind of comfort and ease Aladdin must have had on his magic carpet.

Although us auto journalists enjoy putting a car through its paces, this is one of the cars that even us 'wild-bunch' drive with a whole lot of dignity and respect. That said, we did subject the S-Class through a bunch of twists and turns and it came out with flying colors. The Airmatic suspension can be adjusted to either Comfort or Sport mode, both of which exhibit very significant changes in the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI’s suspension characteristics. To facilitate high-speed stability, the S-Class automatically lowers itself by 20mm over speeds of 120kmph hunkering down onto the road like a supersonic cruise missile.

The S-Class we drove rode on a set of 255/45R18 wheel and tyre package, essential to keep the 2132kg (kerb weight) S350 CD planted on the road at all times. The S-Class even has a height adjustment system, which can increase the ground clearance of the car by 20mm in order to navigate a particularly nasty speed hump or pothole, the likes of which are quite common in India, especially with the monsoon fast looming.

Price

At Rs 1.07 crore (ex-showroom, Maharashtra) the S 350 CDI is considerably more affordable than the petrol S 500, it's undoubtedly more economical to run and nearly as well equipped - it takes luxury diesel travel to an all new level. To begin with, if you are sat in the back, you can’t really tell it is a diesel, unless you make an effort. The engine is smooth, linear and jerk free and there is just about enough performance on hand too. Add in the brilliant interiors, the fact that it has enough features to keep demanding customers happy, and you soon come away with the impression that the new S-class diesel is everything you expect in a diesel limo.

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BMW i8

The BMW i8 is the zen-like, sustainable, low-emissions, petrol-electric, ‘new premium’ German sports car of the future. Expressions of concept don’t get much more complicated. But, while the two most important words in that string get crowded out by their louder neighbours, they are undoubtedly ‘sports car’. Or rather they should have been – written in bold, enlarged, indelible type.
Unfortunately – predictably, perhaps – that probably wasn’t quite how it was. Because the i8 turns out to be a car of incredible visual impact, laudably mature execution, and offers a uniquely appealing ownership proposition. But drive it and you won't be acquainting yourself with the undeniable perfect future of the sports car – but instead a BMW that doesn't deliver the engaging edge an enthusiast might expect.

It should be like a Porsche 918 Spyder for a fifth of the outlay. It’s certainly got some promising ingredients.
The 1.5-litre three-cylinder Mini Cooper engine cradled between the i8’s back wheels has a higher specific output than any production combustion engine that BMW currently makes, feeding 228bhp and 32.6kgm to the rear wheels of the car via a six-speed ZF automatic transmission. Between the front wheels, there’s a 128bhp, 25.4kgm ‘hybrid synchronous’ electric motor, driving those front wheels through a two-speed automatic transmission.
And here’s the clever bit. That electric motor and transmission, the 7.1kWh lithium ion battery mounted where the car’s transmission tunnel might otherwise be and the high-voltage power management system add almost exactly 200kg to the i8. Relative to an aluminium or steel equivalent, says BMW, the carbonfibre-reinforced plastic monocoque saves exactly 200kg. So the car weighs in at 1540kg with fluids onboard: which is less than a current Porsche 911 Turbo, never mind the 918.

The i8’s two-speed gearbox, meanwhile, allows the electric motor to operate at peak torque as the combustion engine passes its torque peak in the lower intermediate gears. And that means, as well as 357bhp, you really do get 58.06kgm of mid-range thrust from this car at times. And it feels like it.
Early impressions of the i8 are of nothing less than a fully fledged supercar. The body looks ridiculously low, wide and ground-hugging. The styling’s got smack-in-the-chops impact to rival a Lamborghini, and scissor doors for belt-and-braces extravagant effect.
You have to fold yourself into the cabin between a low roofline and a high, wide, expensive-looking sill. And once you have, the interior’s got no less of a sense of occasion to it, with a generously sculptural, driver-focused dashboard, colourful LCD instruments, low-slung and deep-dished sports seats; there's also an abundance of little features and touches that lift the ambience way above BMW’s usual conservative norm.
So it talks the talk, the i8 – loud and clear. Walking the walk of something as pure as a Porsche 911 was always going to be the harder bit. On handling precision and that final sliver of driver engagement, the BMW falls short of brilliance. But it’s good, and almost there. Certainly good enough to consider the car an amazing success in its own hyper-specialised niche.
Right up until you go looking for that critical last fraction of driver appeal, in fact, the i8 does almost everything right. Starting off with ‘Comfort’ mode selected on its adaptive dampers and near-silent drive turning its front wheels, the i8 is comfortable and super-civilised around town. It’s a bit choppy-riding occasionally, but not often.

Its steering is light but there's a modicum of well-judged feedback, and performance is entirely decent in electric mode. Electric-only range is a bit low, in reality about 24km. But the BMW seldom operates like a range-extended EV unless you explicitly instruct it to anyway, its combustion engine regularly chiming in through most drive modes, even when the battery is relatively well charged.
Knock the gear selector into ‘Sport’ mode and the engine begins to run almost continually. Gun the accelerator away from a standstill and the powertrain feels like a big V6: instant and heavy-hitting on pedal response, but with a loud, gruff, synthesized soundtrack broadcast to you over the audio speakers.


Yet the harder it revs and the faster you go, the smaller that imaginary V6 seems. Work it really hard beyond 5000rpm and the i8’s performance level feels a touch thin and strained.
The car’s handling stands up more stoutly to inspection – but not indefinitely. Body control is excellent; steering response equally immediate. Lateral grip levels could be higher, particularly at the front wheels, which begin to scrabble and scream under load if you harry them.
Drive intelligently though, using weight transfer to give the steering authority on turn-in, and the i8 responds for the most part like any good mid-engined machine should: with some balance and alacrity, but exceptional in neither.
The rear axle is always glued to its line, giving dependable stability. It declines any attempt to adjust your arc through a corner with a bit of throttle-steering. That's a typical facet of a car that just doesn’t respond well to being driven hard, and one that approaches its adhesive limits a bit early for our tastes.
The i8 can be enjoyed vividly enough as you approach that point, of course. But not ultimately as vividly as a sports car at this price point really ought.
If you genuinely don’t mind compromising on sporting clarity of purpose for lower emissions, enhanced economy and of-the-moment desirability, then you should definitely opt for the BMW i8. But if that’s you, the sports car market would seem to be a strange place to go shopping for your next car anyway.
The BMW i8 doesn’t quite feel as exciting as it does fast; it’s secure and fluent, but not the last word in fun. Accounting for its novelty value, brimming supercar attitude and its low-emissions sense of environmental responsibility, it’ll be more than sporting enough to satisfy people who couldn’t otherwise have justified a sports car.

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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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