Automotive Trends

      Executive Editor Brandon Dye reviews the 2011 Audi Q5 whilst driving through the frozen Thumb of Michigan.

     Audi seems destined to repeat BMW’s formula from the ’90s by making one sausage at 3 different lengths. Just as the 3, 5 and 7-Series sedans were clones of each other in sizes small, medium and large, so too has Audi developed a lineup of A4, A6 and A8 sedans that are nearly indistinguishable. We aren’t implying that’s a bad thing. Audi’s clean, tidy lines contribute to a timeless design that has served the company well. Read more…

      The Audi Le Mans Concept car, on display at the 2004 NAIAS, was very appropriately named for that little endurance race that Audi tends to win now and then. The Le Mans plainly signaled what the production R8 sports car would look like, sans show car specific LED headlamps. The structure was composed of an aluminum space frame wrapped in carbon fiber and alumiunm body panels. Powering the concept was a 40-valve twin-turbocharged 5.0L FSI V10 cranking out 602-hp and 533 lb-ft of torque. Channelling the power to all four wheels (quattro) was the six-speed sequential manual gearbox from the Lamborghini Gallardo.

      The 2007 Audi S6 had the grace and svelte of a German sports luxury sedan, and the heart of an Italian bull. The team from Ingolstadt shoe-horned a 5.2L FSI V10 from the Lamborghini Gallardo into the engine bay of an A6, threw in some fancy wheels, and lit up the front end with some rather handsome LED running lamps. In S6 duty the hoof-stomping nostril-snorting Gallardo V10 is detuned to 435-hp and 398 lb-ft of torque and routes its power to the ground via a 6-speed automatic and quattro all-wheel drive. A canyon carver the S6 is not, as nearly the entirety of that V10 hangs out ahead of the front axle. It will, however, pull away from a stop with authority! Click through for a more extensive photo gallery.   Read more…

      Few automakers know how to dress up an engine bay nowadays. Too many times a gorgeous engine is covered up with flimsy plastic covers to hide the “dirty” engine or muffle noises coming from under the hood. As automotive enthusiasts we appreciate hearing a good engine note from behind the wheel and especially like to be able to show off what is under the hood. Nothing says “I hate the feel of grease under my finger nails” more to fellow car guys than popping open the hood to reveal an acre of black plastic. Note how the 4.2L V8 Audi RS 4 engine pictured above is devoid of such atrocities save for the clever carbon fiber name plate adorning the throttle body.

      Now this is what we are talking about! A fully loaded Audi Q7 outfitted with none other than the V12 TDI motor from the R10 TDI LeMans racer. A detuned version of it that is, though 500-hp and 738 lb-ft of torque can hardly be considered detuned. This titan of the SUV race was on display at the 2007 NAIAS.

      The “best A4 yet” is how Executive Dye described this 2009 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro. And not only because the car was vastly improved for the 2009 model year, but because under the hood resides the ever fantastic 2.0L FSI Turbo 4-cylinder. We’ve sung this motors praises before but in A4 duty this motor cranks out 211-hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. These are truly impressive figures for an engine displacing a volume equal to that of Design Editor Gernand’s midnight Mountain Dew!

      A new dawn of power indeed! Right out of the gate Audi’s R10 TDI LeMans racer was a force to be reckoned with powered by a 5.5L V12 turbodiesel churning out 650-hp and 811 lb-ft of torque. Call me crazy, but stuffing this mill under the hood of an A8 sure sounds like a good formula for a super saloon! Shown at the 2007 NAIAS.

      There’s nothing like spending a summer day down by the lake. So we booked a First Class flight on a 2007 Audi Q7 and pointed the nose east to Lake Huron.

      Once upon a time, automakers offered three basic body styles in the United States: sedan, coupe, and wagon. The sedans were the practical vehicles, and thus, the volume sellers. The wagons were offered for those who just couldn’t fit the whole family in something as limiting as a sedan. Coupes were clearly better looking than their sedan and wagon counterparts and appealed to those who wanted style and could live with the limitations imposed by two doors. Read more…