2013 Audi S7 Quattro Long-Term Logbook: Stuck in a Bind

“The one unforgivable sin is the low-speed binding of the all-wheel-drive system with moderate steering lock.” – Eric Tingwall

One of our long-term Audi S7 Quattro’s biggest complaint generators is, ironically enough, its Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Nearly every staffer who’s driven the S7 has noticed that, during tight maneuvers at low speeds, there is a distinct crunchiness from the front axle and an accompanying shudder through the steering wheel and body. It feels as though the rear wheels are attempting to push the fronts off their intended line, and it’s not particularly pleasant.

We first reported on the S7’s binding issue in our introduction of the car earlier this year, when we noted the dealer told us the condition was normal. Apparently, the combination of the S7’s electronically controlled limited-slip front differential and sporty tires are to blame. That might be the case, but it’s a tough pill to swallow in a nearly $90,000 luxury ride. On the upside, the S7’s Quattro setup—and the snow tires we fitted—helped us through a brutal Michigan winter without a hiccup, providing excellent traction. The Quattro can shift up to 70 percent of the engine’s torque to the front axle, and as much as 85 percent to the rear.

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Jaguar Land Rover Forms New Arm for Tuning, Special Models, and One-Offs

Jaguar Land Rover has set up a new Special Operations division to create high-performance versions of its existing models alongside one-offs and heritage models.

The performance engineering part of the S.O. business will be called Special Vehicle Operations, which is likely to trigger a feeling of déjà vu among anyone old enough to remember Ford’s identically named in-house U.S. tuning arm in the 1980s. The wider Special Operations division will also be responsible for creating one-offs and show cars, bespoke options on existing models, and also the creation of limited runs of heritage models, including Jaguar’s recent announcement of plans to build six ‘new’ Lightweight E-types. It’s also been suggested that it may spit out a run of cars based on the righteous F-type-based Project 7 concept.

SVO will be headed up by Paul Newsome, who led development of the C-X75 hybrid supercar while working for Williams. It will work with both Jaguar and Land Rover brands, with sources inside the company indicating one of its first projects is likely to be a performance version of the Range Rover Sport.

We’re told that Land Rover is determined not to lose out on the power battle that has been developing among other top-end SUV makers, and we can expect the SVO-tuned Sport to be significantly quicker than the existing Supercharged version thanks to both a brawnier engine—likely the 550-hp version of JLR’s familiar 5.0-liter V-8—and some major suspension revisions.

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From the outside, Special Operations looks like a belated response to the in-house German tuners: AMG at Mercedes, Quattro within Audi, and BMW’s M division. But at least it’s a response. We’re looking forward to finding out what it’s going to produce.

BMW Runs Crash-Test Sims in Iceland, Goes Green With Geothermal Computers

Save for a nonsensical first drive of a new Subaru, we don’t include Iceland in our general coverage. But the tiny Nordic isle has been drawing BMW’s R&D budget for—thing of all things—carbon-free computers.

BMW’s eco-friendly agenda for its i3 and i8 electric cars has seeped into places where even the most Californian of Californians doesn’t check—the servers processing CAD models, crash simulations, aerodynamics, and other data-heavy computing required for their development. In Iceland, geothermal heat and hydroelectric dams keep 1300 servers humming for BMW day and night, with naturally cold air to chill all the rigs. If that sounds expensive, in Iceland—where active volcanoes keep piping hot water under the surface and power two-thirds of the country’s energy usage—it’s easy.

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More than 80 percent of the country runs on renewable electricity, and since the natural resources are abundant and accessible, they’re not hit with the price premiums found elsewhere in the world. According to Verne Global, BMW’s server-farm supplier, the automaker cut 3570 metric tons of CO2 emissions and 82 percent of its operating costs by crunching data in Iceland versus Germany. BMW says it’s planning to use the Icelandic hardware for “more functions in the future.”  That includes a new dedicated computing center in Reykjavik, which could mean storing cloud data collected from its ConnectedDrive in-car wireless services or simply improving the current i lineup.

Beastly Range Rover Sport RS Teased at the Nürburgring

Land Rover’s upcoming ultra-high-performance Range Rover Sport RS is nigh, at least based on a new teaser video Auto Express claims is the real deal. The clip shows tranquil images of Germany’s famed Nürburgring circuit as a raucous supercharged V-8 exhaust note rumbles in the background.

For maybe half a second, a Range Rover Sport rockets through the frame, and the black, blue, and white camouflage it’s wearing matches that of the 2015 Range Rover Sport RS prototype we recently spotted at the ‘Ring. It is expected to utilize a 550-hp version of the RR Sport Supercharged’s blown 5.0-liter V-8, and to receive a full complement of suspension, braking, and aero upgrades. Take a listen to Land Rover’s future beastie below:

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Tesla X-pansion: Model X Deliveries to Start in Early 2015, More Details Emerge

Tesla reeeeealy doesn’t seem to enjoy talking to the press directly, instead parsing nuggets of information via town-hall meetings with friendly audiences or, in this case, in letters to customers.

According to an email addressed to “Model X reservation holders,” who are probably wondering when their long-awaited electric crossovers will ever appear in their driveway, Tesla will initiate builds ofModel X prototypes in its Fremont, California, production facility, with the first customer cars scheduled to roll off the line in early 2015. Deliveries of the Model X had been promised for 2014.

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The letter continues, confirming that falcon-wing doors will make it to production (which we knew before) and claiming that ingress and egress are easier than with conventional doors. “You can even do it standing up.” All-wheel drive will come standard, according to the letter (which we also knew before) and, as with the Model S, a third-row seat will be optional, not standard. Something we’re keen to find out is how many passengers will fit in the rearmost seat, and if it will be an adult-sized space. Tesla plans to produce about 10,000 to 15,000 Model X electric crossovers per year, according toAutomotive News, at a price that remains pure speculation at this point.

2015 Hyundai Genesis V-6 AWD

When we evaluated Hyundai’s 2015 Genesis V-6 sedan on the battered tarmac around our Michigan headquarters, we noted that the surface was perfect for analyzing the Lotus-tuned suspension. As for exploring the foul-weather usefulness of the Genesis’s newly available HTRAC all-wheel-drive system, our environs proved less helpful. Traction-reducing precipitation was nowhere to be found, especially that of the flaky, frozen variety that was all too prevalent last winter. Where’s a polar vortex when you need one?

Like AWD? Hope You Like a V-6, Too

Although we didn’t face any major traction issues during our test of the all-wheel-drive Genesis V-6, we did observe that Hyundai’s HTRAC setup never called attention to itself. This is unlike, for example, the Quattro system in our long-term Audi S7, which binds perceptibly in tight parking-lot maneuvers. Where HTRAC did make a difference, however, was in stifling wheelspin during hard launches.

HTRAC can only be paired with the Genesis’s standard 3.8-liter V-6, which makes 311 horsepower and 293 lb-ft of torque. (The available 5.0-liter V-8 makes 420 horsepower.) An eight-speed automatic transmission with a wide ratio spread helps keep the six on boil, though, and we managed to hit 60 mph in 6.2 seconds. Top speed is limited to 149 mph. Hyundai’s in-house eight-speed automatic isn’t as unobtrusive or telepathic as the bolt-action ZF-sourced eight-speeds in many BMWs, but the Hyundai gearbox makes up for the occasional flubbed downshift with its overall smoothness.

As we’ve found driving other Genesis models, the sedan’s steering is accurate but numb and the chassis is tuned for resolute understeer. HTRAC exaggerates the feeling of understeer, with our test driver noting it as “excessive” during skidpad testing. Even so, the all-wheel-drive Genesis hung on for a commendable 0.87 g, which turned out to be identical to the grip generated by the rear-drive model also tested. Even with the added all-wheel-drive hardware, the HTRAC Genesis V-6 managed to feel sprightlier than the Genesis V-8. (On our scales, the HTRAC Genesis V-6 weighed 85 pounds less than the rear-drive Genesis V-8—with most of that coming off the front axle.) Braking was only so-so, with the Hyundai hauling itself to a stop from 70 mph in a long-ish 172 feet.

5-series Size and Features for 3-series Money

During a two-week period in our hands, the Genesis managed a respectable 21 mpg in spite of its 4516-pound curb weight and our lead feet. Our $52,450 Genesis test car was a popular highway cruiser, what with its comfortable and composed ride, quiet cabin, and full complement of tech and luxury packages. 

Based on content alone, the second-generation Genesis remains a huge value, especially compared to mid-size luxury sedans from established German players such as the BMW 528i xDrive. With all-wheel drive and the car’s much-improved ride and handling, the Genesis sedan deserves a long look from Snow Belters.

2016 Ford Focus RS Spy Photos: We. Want.

What It Is: A semi-camouflaged Ford Focus ST packed to the gills with what appears to be serious performance hardware. That can only mean one thing: We’re looking at a Focus RS prototype. A number of this car’s features give it away as the hotly anticipated and apparently imminent Focus RS, Ford’s counter to the VW Golf R and Subaru WRX STI.

Why It Matters: The regular Focus ST is a sporty enough piece—it’s got 252 horsepower and top-shelf dynamics—but U.S. enthusiasts have been clamoring for an über-rorty RS for a long, long time. It still isn’t clearwhether or not Ford will send the newest RS to our shores, but this model will elevate the current Focus’s performance—and price—to new heights.

Platform: The RS naturally will be based on the excellent platform underpinning the current-gen Focus, which makes it one of the finest-driving small cars extant. As is clear from these spy photos, the RS will more specifically be spun off the Focus ST, albeit with clear visual and functional differences.

For starters, the exhaust layout is unique. The ST has two center-exit exhaust outlets with a shared stylized tip, this RS mule gets two wide-set outlets. This detail also distinguishes this prototype from, say, the ST that’ll be updated with the 2015 Focus’s sheetmetal. (We’ve spotted some 2015 STs around our offices here in Michigan, and they retained their center-exit exhausts.) Another giveaway that this Focus meansserious business is its wheel-and-tire package, which sees 19-inch Shelby GT500–esque rims wrapped in sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport summer tires. The wheels are one inch larger in diameter than the ST’s 18s, and they sit in front of massive brakes. Up front, what appears to simply be elaborate camouflage loosely covers a more or less wide-open front end designed to funnel massive amounts of air to the radiator and intercooler.

Powertrain: It’s widely expected that in order to nudge up close to the 300-hp mark, the next Focus RS will borrow the 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo four seen in the new Mustang. Expect a six-speed manual to route power to either the front or all four tires; that’s right, the RS could pack all-wheel drive to corral all that fury. We compared this prototype’s rear end to that of our long-term 2014 Focus ST, and there’s definitely some hardware visible on the pictures that isn’t on our car. Taken with the re-routed exhaust, this could be evidence that the RS will go AWD. Alternatively, the low-hanging bits could be additional chassis bracing or re-worked suspension mounting points.

Competition: Subaru WRX STI, Volkswagen Golf R.

Estimated Arrival and Price: Everything we’ve been hearing points to a debut later this year or in early 2015 as a 2016 model. Given that the ST currently starts at $24,450 and can close in on $30,000, don’t expect the RS to come in much below $30K—if at all. Yes, the car would then be priced on top of a 2015 Mustang EcoBoost Premium and close in on a base Mustang GT, but we’re in the camp that believes the majority of pony-car and hot-hatch buyers stick to their vehicles of choice, alternatives be damned.