Max Auto Updates - 16/07/2009

Golf VI GTI performance upgrades by MR Car Design



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MR Car Design is a tuner based in Erftstadt which is a town 20km east of Cologne in Germany. On top of being an exhaust specialist they have also tuned a number of cars for customers and are now turning their attention to the Golf VI GTI. Equipped with a KW-thread-sport suspension the car now sits 50mm lower and the front and 40mm lower at the rear.

Oxigin 14 wheels with sizes 8.5x19 and 9.5x19 are fitted. They roll on 225/35-19 tyres. MR Car Design also took care of stopping power by using a Stoptech high performance brake system with 4-piston calipers and slotted brake discs as well as a brake caliper air vent plug. A custom sport exhaust system is fitted. Optionally buyers can get a downpipe with a sport catalytic converter.

The engine has been optimised by using MRCD software. Peak power goes from 155kW up to 191kW. At the same time torque shows a greater improvement from 280Nm to 380Nm. Thanks in no small part to the GTI's XDS traction system the FWD car goes from 0 - 100m/h in 5.8 seconds and achieves a 263km/h top speed. The tuner reckons it is quite a drivable car even on an everyday basis and it returns a good average fuel consumption figure.

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Audi A5 Sportback officially revealed



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Audi officially went public with the new Audi A5 Sportback today following months of leaks, teasers, photo shoots, and spy shots. We have seen undisguised photos of the A5 Sportback before, but never this many, and never so high quality.

The vehicle features a smooth design that makes the car look much less like a wagon than the A3 Sportback, while sitting 36mm lower than the A4 sedan. Frameless doors definitely add to the car's clean look. The nicely-angled side windows, ringed in chrome, show off a sporty look with a flowing roofline.

Inside, customers can create either a monotone or contrasting look. Four individual seats are surrounded with a comfortable amount of space no matter how big the passenger. At 480 liters, Audi also provided nearly the same amount of cargo space as the A4 Avant.

Under the hood, we were hoping for at least one higher-powered engine. Three petrol engines include 132kW and 155kW variants of the 2.0-liter TFSI unit, and a 3.2-liter V6 model providing 195kW. If it is diesel you prefer, you can choose the incredibly efficient 2.0-liter TDI. The 125kW unit uses just 5.2 liters of fuel per 100 km, or rougly 45+ mpg. A start/stop system helps increase fuel efficiency. The other TDI engines are a 140kW 2.7-liter unit and a 3.0-liter, 240 horsepower model. The 2.0 TFSI quattro, the 3.2 FSI quattro and the 3.0 TDI quattro models are available with the seven-speed S-tronic gearbox.

Audi will release three more engines for the A5 Sportback within the next year. Each petrol model, and the highest-powered TDI, is fitted with Audi's "quattro" all-wheel drive system, while customers purchasing one of the two most powerful engines may also add on a newly offered sport differential which distributes the drive power in continuously variable proportions between the rear wheels. Those not receiving quattro instead get a stability unit that helps prevent understeer with an electronic front differential. The 132kW 2.0-liter TFSI engine also gets the stability program.

The vehicle will be featured in dealerships beginning in September. A lower-priced version will also be released next year, making the Sportback the entry-level trimline for the A5 series. Audi will likely also release an A7 Sportback by the end of 2010. That car could come with the option of a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 or a V8.