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ISSUE 50 . JUNE 2013

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Renault hatches wild rally concept in Monte Carlo

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EditorialGoAuto NewsroomPO Box 18Sandringham VIC 3191(03) 9598 6477 goautomag@goautomedia.net

ProductionLuc Britten

ContributorsMike CostelloBarry ParkByron MathioudakisTerry MartinTim NicholsonDaniel Gardner

Advertising enquiriesSally Mellor(03) 9598 6477 0425 700 904sally@goautomedia.net

8 Small luxuriesStyle evolution, substance revolution

12 Family affairKia blurs the line between form and function

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Twice bitten......but this Renault’s never shy3

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15 EgomaniacLamborghini crafts supercar for one

Race relationsAston Martin dips into track heritage

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Renault Twin’Run Concept //

Twice bitten......but this Renault’s never shy

By DANIEL GARDNER

AFTER an elongated teaser campaign, Renault finally revealed its latest concept at last month’s Monaco

Grand Prix: the edgy and one-off Twin’Run hot hatch.

And while these surroundings may have been glitz and glam, the car is much more than a mere show pony. A 240kW V6 engine is mounted amidships, and a tubular space-frame chassis sits under the skin.

The latest Renault show car continues a line

of high-performance hatches beginning in the 1980s, with the Group-B rally competing Renault 5 Turbo. This legacy was resumed in 2001 when the mad Clio V6 was born.

A race between the two historic cars and the new Twin’Run was staged for the crowds in

Monte Carlo, with F1 star Charles Pic piloting the Clio V6, former rally driver Jean Ragnotti steering his Maxi 5 Turbo and Renault chief operating officer Carlos Tavares bravely trying to keep them both at bay in the Twin’Run.

The street race was intended to remind the

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public of Renault’s racing heritage and history of hot hatches.

The new concept certainly appears to honour this hi-po history with an impressive list of features. While recent concepts have focused on environmental considerations, pure performance is the Twin’Run’s raison d’etre.

The one-off was developed from scratch

as a racing car with composite material body panels clothing a tubular space-frame designed in conjunction with chassis specialist Tork Engineering.

The racecar DNA continues under the skin with a 3.5-litre V6 delivering power through a six-speed sequential gearbox and twin metallic clutch.

The result is a 43/57 weight distribution, ultra-short wheel-base and blistering acceleration perfect for tackling the tyre-shredding corners of a street-race like Monaco.

Hauling up the little Renault isn’t a problem either with six-piston calipers braking 7.5x18-inch slick-clad wheels at the front and four-piston calipers managing the

eight-inch wide rear wheels.Four LED driving lamps adorn the front

of the Twin’Run and closely resemble the auxiliary lighting fitted to Monte Carlo night racers of the 80’s, while the number 5 on its doors is a nod to the R5 turbo.

The high-intensity LED light rack was a design challenge in its own right, having to

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‘Run like hell: With a sub-1000kg kerb weight, the zero to 100km/h sprint takes just 4.5 seconds.

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Think twice: Any rear seat space is dominated by the longitudinally mounted V6 engine

provide night-piercing illumination from a lamp measuring just 25mm deep while also being capable of cycling through various sequences.

With a sub-1000kg kerb weight, the zero to 100km/h sprint takes just 4.5 seconds, and the little French fighter will keep going all the way up to 250km/h.

Both the track-car technology and historical references continue inside the snug cabin.

Full racing harnesses hold two occupants in the Sparco bucket seats, and a little luxury is afforded by black and red alcantara-upholstered door panels and dash.

Despite looking like a four-seater hatch from the outside, the Twin’Run has room for just two as any rear seat space is dominated by the longitudinally mounted V6 engine – niftily visible through a plexiglass panel.

Driver controls are rally bred with the suede steering wheel in close proximity to the

sequential gear lever, a joint welded handbrake for lightening fast inputs and pedals arranged for heel-and-toe.

Twin oil and water temperature gauges are another nod to the Renault 5 Turbo – but tradition is balanced with technology as all other vehicle information is displayed via a multi-page LCD screen.

Talking about his latest creation, Renault’s head of concept car design Axel Breun said: “Twin’Run embodies the mad genius Renault has been known for over the decades, to the delight of motor sports enthusiasts”.

“No one has forgotten the R5 Turbo and the Clio V6. Twin’Run is the true heir of those racing cars that had so much appeal.”

The recently revealed Renault TwinZ concept is expected to herald some of the features in the upcoming Renault Twingo so the reveal of the Twin’Run may indicate a racing inspired road version will also follow.

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Race relationsAston Martin V12 Vantage S //

By TIM NICHOLSON

BRITISH brand Aston Martin has ripped the covers off the new V12 Vantage S – its second fastest production car ever.

The V12 Vantage S, which replaces the standard V12 Vantage globally, has a tweaked version of the 6.0-litre V12 engine, with power boosted by 11 per cent to 422kW and torque up nine per cent to 620Nm.

Aston Martin has surprised some by ditching the six-speed manual gearbox in favour of an updated version of the automated manual transmission found in the V8 Vantage S.

The new transmission is 25kg lighter than the outgoing gearbox and includes paddle shifters that Aston says are “designed and engineered to exploit the full sporting potential of the V12 engine.”

Interestingly, the British car-maker has not revealed a 0-100km/h sprint time, but it is expected to better the outgoing model’s 4.2 seconds and could even slip below the four second mark. Top speed grows to 330km/h, up from 305km/h.

Only the super-exclusive One-77 hypercar, that pumps out 559kW from its massive 7.3-litre naturally-aspirated V12 and sprints to

100km/h in 3.7s, can better it.The V12 Vantage S apparently gets an even

sexier aural note than the outgoing model, with Aston replacing its exhaust system with a new one derived from the One-77.

A new three-stage adaptive damping system has been added to the Vantage, allowing the driver to tailor the dynamic performance of the car by choosing either

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Aston Martin dips into track heritage

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‘normal’, ‘sport’ or ‘track’ mode.There is a second ‘Sport’ mode button in the

centre console that alters the gearshift speed and timing, throttle response and exhaust note.

Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez said that the company’s racing heritage played a part in the development of the V12 Vantage S, adding that the new model is “pure Aston Martin.”

While the 12-pot Vantage S looks much the same as the model it replaces, some cosmetic tweaks have been made to refresh the design that has been around since 2005.

A new grille design inspired by the CC100 Speedster concept that was unveiled in May to celebrate the iconic British car-maker’s centenary, featuring black carbon-fibre mesh helping to maximize airflow to the engine, replaces the aluminium unit.

New 10-spoke light-weight alloy wheels and two-tone paint cap off the exterior updates.

The carbon-fibre theme continues in the cabin, with Aston offering an optional carbon-fibre interior pack that adds the material to the door inserts and fascia, while black foot pedals are also available.

Updates to the interior also include new sports seats, revised stitching, two leather grade options and the availability of Alacantra.

Australian pricing for the current V12 Vantage is $386,391, and while Aston Martin is yet to release local pricing for the S, it is likely to get a boost and could end up north of $400,000.

European deliveries are expected to start at the end of this year so expect an Australian debut in the first quarter of next year.

The reveal of the V12 Vantage S follows a teaser video that Aston Martin released last week featuring a disguised yellow sports-car traveling at high speed around a race track, hinting at a new model.

Inelegant gentleman: The new V12 Vantage S is the British brand’s second fastest production car ever.

By MIKE COSTELLO

AUDI claims to have created a new market segment when it launched the original A3 premium small

hatch in 1996.Buyers, it said, were keen to downsize,

provided they could keep some badge cache. Thus the A3 was born, and with 2.7 million sales over 17 years, it seems Audi was right on trend.

But today’s landscape is tougher, because arch foes BMW and Mercedes-Benz have leapt into the fray with small luxury cars of their own – the 1 Series and A-Class respectively – and even rivals such as Volvo and Lexus have a presence.

Enter Audi’s new, third-generation model, that launched last month with significant price cuts – including a sharper opening gambit of

$35,600 plus on-road costs (down $5600) that puts it right on par with the entry A-Class and Volvo V40, and undercuts the BMW.

The company will accompany the launch of the new A3 with a $5 million ad campaign – it’s most expensive ever – including the rights to Daft Punk’s smash hit “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”. On message, according to the company, but also certainly

not a cheap acquisition.Audi Australia managing director Andrew

Doyle says the new model has stepped up a notch, and will incidentally form a major part of the company’s plan to become the top-selling premium brand here by the end of the decade.

“With the all-new Audi A3, we will lead the segment once again,” he said.

At first glance, you would be forgiven for

Small luxuriesAudi A3 Sportback //

Style evolution, substance revolution

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mistaking this third iteration for its predecessor. But under the rather familiar skin sits an all-new platform – Volkswagen’s flexible, lightweight and modular architecture known as ‘MQB’.

The A3 was the first to get these new underpinnings, but models such as the VW Golf and Skoda Octavia use it too.

Not only does this new platform cut weight (overall reduction is 85kg, also attributed to lighter engines and occupant cell), but its production scale also cuts costs: it isn’t just favourable currency flows that have allowed Audi Australia to slash the price.

Two specification levels will be offered initially – entry Attraction and higher-specified Ambition – each available with four-cylinder petrol or diesel power. Four engines in total are available, with the Ambition getting more powerful versions.

All powertrains will send power to the front wheels (a quattro version is due later this year) and be matched to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (diehards can get a six-speed manual on special order).

The hardcore S3 quattro hot hatch will launch later this year priced around $65k, while a sedan version will hit the streets in early 2014. A new cabriolet version will likely appear next year, while a plug-in hybrid Volt rival called the A3 e-tron is a lock to appear by 2015.

All versions are also slightly larger and roomier (storage is now 380 litres with the seats in place and 1220L with the 60:40 rear bench folded), and are said to have sharper handling from a new electromechanical system, more information technology and class-leading build quality.

A five-star ANCAP rating is a feature of all versions too, with seven airbags standard.

As mentioned, the Attraction will kick off the range from $35,600. This is for the

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90kW/200Nm 1.4-litre turbo petrol version (an engine shared with the cheaper Golf) that consumes a claimed 5.0 litres per 100km.

A Prius-matching 77kW/250Nm diesel version that uses 3.9L/100km but has identical specification costs $36,500.

Both versions have the same list of standard features including 16-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, leather seats, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, a pop-up monochrome 15cm screen with eight speakers (the screen is just 11mm thin, too), Bluetooth streaming, cruise control, ‘Dynamic’ suspension, automatic headlights and wipers and paddle shifters.

Buyers wanting a little more punch and spec can opt for the Ambition, available in either 132kW/250Nm 1.8-litre turbo-petrol or 110kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel guise for the same $42,500.

The (for now) flagship four-pot combines fuel economy of 5.6L/100km with an acceleration to 100km/h time of 7.3s, while the more torque-rich of the two diesels uses a low 4.5L/100km and does the same dash in 8.4s.

Extra features include 17-inch alloys, better-bolstered sports seats, aluminium window surrounds and cabin trim, front fog lights, a colour central display, and Audi Drive Select (various driving modes that tweak the steering, throttle and transmission shifts).

Being Audi, the more high-end features are reserved for extra-cost options packages. For instance, the Style Package adds Xenon headlights with daytime-running lights and five-spoke 17-inch wheels for $2000 to the Attraction, or LEDs, 18-inch wheels and 15mm lower suspension to the Ambition for the same cost.

Those wanting satellite navigation must pay $2990 for the Technik package, which also bundles in a reversing camera. The $1800 Assistance package adds adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and high beam assist.

Flagship Ambitions can be sexed-up with the $4200 S line package, thanks to the addition of Alcantara sports seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, black headlining, 15mm lower sports suspension and 18-inch alloy wheels.

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Kia Rondo //

By TIM NICHOLSON

KIA has given its Rondo compact people-mover a wholesale redesign in line with its slick new image, but

the makeover comes at a price. While sharper to behold and better-equipped

than ever before, the price of entry to the new, automatic-only version is also $4000 higher than its base (manual) predecessor, at $29,990 plus on-road costs.

This means the compact Korean has lost its crown as the cheapest seven-seater on the

Australian market, with Fiat’s larger Freemont able to be optioned with three rows of seats for $28,500 drive-away.

The increase in price comes in exchange for more equipment, more variants, the availability of a diesel engine for the first time

and improved petrol performance and fuel economy over the vehicle it replaces.

While the Rondo has been a niche model since it went on sale in Australia in 2008, the aggressive Korean car-maker has bigger plans for the latest version.

Kia blurs the line between form and function

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Kia is predicting global sales of compact people-movers such as the Rondo to grow from 1.9 million units in 2012 to 2.5 million by 2015, and expects to build 105,000 units of this new Rondo per year, up from 420,000 total units of the old version.

The Rondo’s styling is in-line with other recent Kia models in that it features the now-familiar ‘tiger-nose’ grille that has become a brand trademark.

Kia Motors president and chief design officer Peter Schreyer said his European design team worked hard to give the Rondo a completely new look while maintaining the practicality of a seven-seat people mover.

“This new-found visual dynamism is important – this car needs to look appealing and attractive – but during its design and development stages, we never lost

sight of the fact that packaging flexibility and adaptability are the reasons why people buy this type of vehicle.”

The rounded front end, snub nose and clean rear-end design of the new model give the impression of a large hatchback, rather than a

traditional MPV. It’s 20mm shorter, 15mm

narrower and 40mm lower than the model it replaces, but has a 50mm longer wheelbase and therefore gains space in the cabin.

The front passenger seat backrest

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in mid-spec SLi and flagship Platinum variants can be folded forwards, while the second row seats can be split folded 35/30/35 and slid forwards for greater access to the third row. The back row features a 50/50 split and the seats can be stowed under the floor of the boot for greater cargo space.

Kia credits the compact design of its rear suspension as the reason for a 17 per cent increase in boot capacity, allowing for 103 litres with all seven seats up, 492 litres with five seats occupied and up to 1650 litres when the front seats are in use.

The base Si kicks off the three-model range from $29,990 for the petrol and $32,490 for the diesel, and comes with standard features such as 16-inch alloys, cruise control, luggage screen, six-speaker audio system with MP3, 4.3-inch touch screen, Bluetooth and steering wheel-mounted controls, heated electric

folding mirrors and tinted glass.Moving up to the SLi takes the price out to

$33,990 for the petrol or $36,490 for the diesel.Extra equipment includes 17-inch alloy

wheels, dual-zone climate control, front parking sensors, LED daylight running lamps, leather trim seats, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat, puddle light on side mirrors, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, a 4.2-inch colour instrument cluster and roof rails.

Strangely, the flagship Platinum is available in petrol only from $38,990, and adds 18-inch alloy wheels, satellite navigation with seven-inch touch screen, heated steering wheel, push button start, and a panoramic sunroof.

The new 2.0-litre four-cylinder GDI petrol engine gives the Rondo a power boost from 106kW in the outgoing model to 122kW, while torque is also up from 189Nm to 213Nm.

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People-groover: The new Rondo incorporates Kia’s current design language.

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\\ Lamborghini Egoista concept

EgomaniacLamborghini crafts supercar for one

By DANIEL GARDNER

CONCEPT cars are supposed to be radical but while most manufacturers settle for LED lights and a clever paint

job, Lamborghini has opted for navigation lights and an ejector seat for its latest offering.

The newest Bull-badged car - named the Egoista - was created to celebrate Lamborghini’s 50th year and was unveiled at the culmination of the anniversary celebrations in Sant’Agata.

Drawing heavily from an aeronautical

theme, the Egoista features wild jagged body surfaces while vivid flashes of orange pick out the wheels, cavities and continue throughout the futuristic interior.

The cockpit has room for just one and appears to be a combination of a fighter jet

crossed with a Star Wars space ship made out of Lego.

But all is not stratospheric with the bizarre concept. Powered by a 447kW V10 and featuring large moving aerodynamic wings, the Egoista is designed to stay on the ground.

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If things do go wrong on terra firma, a carbon-fibre and aluminum constructed “survival cell” is a removable section designed to isolate and protect the driver from external elements.

The name Egoista is intended to reflect the cars purpose and Volkswagen Head of Design Walter De Silva described the concept as “a car made for one person only, to allow them to have fun and express their personality to the maximum.

“It is designed purely for hyper-sophisticated people who want only the most extreme and special things in the world. It represents hedonism taken to the extreme, it is a car without compromises, in a word: egoista (selfish).”

Previous outlandish Lamborghini road cars such as the Reventon and Veneno have emerged from concepts with relatively little dilution so the Egoista may surface at showrooms in the future.

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