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If the new Volvo XC90 has always been too big for you, you can now get the right variant from the Swedes. Like its big brother, the new Volvo XC60 is based on the SPA platform. It therefore also uses their technology and the high safety standards that Volvo has committed to, but measures 30 centimeters less in length and is not only easier to park, but also more pleasant.

Optical separation of the new Volvo XC60 from its big brother

In order to clearly differentiate the Volvo XC60 from its big brother, a few subtleties have been thought of. The mid-range SUV not only has LED light as standard, including the identifier “Thor’s Hammer”, but a different housing shape. The design connects the lights directly to the grill and gives the “new Volvo face” an initial retouch that is “easy on the eyes”.

On February 25, 2013, the five millionth quattro rolled off the assembly line at Audi in Neckarsulm. An A6 Allroad with the 313 hp diesel, but there was more at the Audi Forum, the original quattro from 1982, which was ready for a short drive.

It is remarkable that Audi is setting a milestone with the white A6 Allroad, the all-wheel drive models are not only sold like sliced ​​bread in Germany, but especially abroad. The A8 goes there in large numbers, China and America are responsible for more than 80% of the sales figures. In Neckarsulm, there was also a small tour of the plant, in which a lot is automated, but only 10% is done by robots. The factory tour is recommended to anyone who visits the Audi Forum. Unfortunately, the cameras have to stay outside, which is not least due to the fact that a prototype, for example, drives around the factory premises. We suspected the facelift to the S5 Sportback or an RS5 Sportback under the full fabric dress.

What does an SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) have to be able to do? Ideally, everything in one fell swoop, but which SUV has succeeded so far? Not really for anyone; Even if hardly anyone has tested the off-road capabilities of their own vehicle so far, it is good to show them at the regulars’ table. It’s good that with the new Mercedes-Benz GLC someone is finally coming who can do everything except open the beer bottle. A first test drive with the new mid-size SUV based on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Zero emission. Plug-in hybrid. Packed with technology. Autonomous driving. New cars are full of technology and could, at least in theory, soon be on the road without us. But where are the last pure automobiles that still require a strong hand behind the steering wheel? Cars that still evoke emotions through purism or that demand our full attention – a small list of the last automobiles for everyone who loves driving.

Mazda MX-5

Affordable, mobile to the mechanical limit of the chassis and iconic. That’s how easy it is to summarize the current Mazda MX-5. The two engines with 131 and 160 hp will not tear a data sheet fanatic off his feet. But he does not understand that all this performance can be used to the absolute limit at any time and can also be experienced by almost everyone. Hardly any other car provides so much driving pleasure and is still so controllable at the limit. One of the engineers used to say why pack a lot of power into a car when you can never use all of it. Better to have the right amount of power and convert it into absolute driving pleasure. He is right! A Lotus Elise is perhaps more something for the die-hard, because the Englishwoman demands a little more attention from her driver.

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Although the word “hybrid car” can already be described as common in the vernacular, many do not yet know what exactly this term actually means and, above all, what types of hybrids there are. What are the respective advantages and disadvantages of the individual hybrid types??

It is particularly important to the manufacturer Lexus to present the hybrid as such and that is exactly why Lexus asked us to put together a small “Hybrid 1 × 1” with a focus on full hybrids.

The mild and plug-in hybrids

Let’s start with the so-called mild hybrids. These have a small electric motor, but cannot drive purely electrically. That is why 48-volt systems also belong to this category. Some engineers even attribute vehicles with a start-stop system to the mild hybrids. It goes without saying that mild hybrids do not have to be charged externally. Plug-in hybrids, on the other hand, have to be charged externally because they have a high-voltage battery. You can drive purely electrically and are, in layman’s terms, an electric car that also has an internal combustion engine.

It took a long time and now Project CARS is finally in store. More precisely, from tomorrow it can be downloaded or bought in the store. I was able to do my laps on the various Project CARS tracks for a few days beforehand and have a wide variety of experiences. In a nutshell, the game is bombastic but not perfect.

I tested the PC version, it doesn’t actually differ from the versions for Xbox One or Playstation 4, unless you have a cutting-edge graphics card, then the PC has an advantage. The 17 GB were downloaded in about five hours (via Steam) and then took up 20 GB of hard drive space. A quick click and the game loads directly – my system * is in the good midfield. The intro fills me with goosebumps, the camera work flies over individual stretches that are shrouded in the evening glow. And then finally the first sports cars fly over the track and fight hot duels. It pays to stay tuned until the login menu appears. If you can’t wait that long, you just stop.

The new Opel Insignia Sports Tourer looks a bit like the Mazda6. A touch of the Astra Sports Tourer or Zafira can also be recognized. But the closest is the comparison with the Japanese. When it comes to the hard facts, the Rüsselsheimer speaks a very clear language again: 100 liters more load volume, matrix LED light and the new all-wheel drive.

Sales start in February

Almost every area in the cockpit can be heated, including not only the steering wheel and windscreen, but also the front seats, but also the outer rear seats. Partly for a surcharge, of course. The world premiere will take place in Geneva in March, but the new mid-range station wagon will be available for order in February.

Don’t we all think of ourselves that we are the coolest and best drivers? I only know a few who have never claimed to be “good at driving”. I would love to send all of these people out on a race track without instructions and then see who can still achieve the rating “good”. What is part of such an experience; Of course the right sports equipment, but in this case it’s not really about the Porsche Cayman with 275 PS, but the black gold on its feet: the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2.

At the beginning of this year, I was lucky enough to meet one of the best German rally drivers of our time. It wasn’t Walter Röhrl, I hadn’t written “the best” either. I took the chance and sat down with Armin Schwarz for a good 30 minutes and asked him a few questions about the past, the coming and the present.

In itself I only had a few small questions, but the engaging Franconian wanted to have every little detail covered. Maybe we will make the whole conversation available to you as a podcast later. My fundamental question was actually what happened to motorsport and why nothing changes about it, clearly with a focus on rallying. But as he himself says, rallying slept through the change:

Before the Cayman GT4 saw the light of day, the Porsche Cayman GTS spearheaded the “small sports cars” from Zuffenhausen. The power injection helps the Cayman GTS to 340 hp from the 3.4-liter boxer mid-engine and you will be fascinated by the latest on the racetrack. Where the Cayman, with its magical power-to-weight ratio of less than four kilos, belongs: to Ascari!

The power-to-weight ratio of 3.95 kg / hp naturally relates to the handset (1,345 kg). With 4.04 kg / PS, the Cayman GTS driven is again just above this threshold thanks to the 7-speed PDK. But he has an enormous advantage. Not only does the dual-clutch transmission shift faster than any person on the racetrack, the spread is significantly wider thanks to the additional gear. What does that bring us besides more concentration on the track? The right high-speed gear for every situation. In pure acceleration it is “only” 0.3 seconds less that the 4.6 second racer needs to 100 km / h.