Audi A5, A6, A8, S6, Q5, Q7, RS 5, RS 7 And R8
It鈥檚 surprising that a lot of ordinary people have never heard of Audi. Most people don鈥檛 even know how to pronounce Audi. The truth is, however, Audi is one of the three best selling luxury carmakers in the world. There are also a lot of things that people might not realize about Audi that can only be seen in some subtle ways. Tony Stark showed how fast his Audi R8 is in the first two Iron Man movies. It is especially evident on Iron Man II, when he is required to drive hundreds of miles to attend a Congressional Hearing, and instead of taking his airplane, he just drove there. In a subtle way, it proved to the world that Audi cars are one of the fastest, best performing, and safest cars in the world. The competition nowadays is about being eco-friendly. If a car鈥檚 performance, even a luxury vehicle, would have a negative effect on the environment, it can expect a lot of criticism from a lot of people and could greatly affect their sales. Most luxury car manufacturers resolve this problem through engines and body builds that are fuel-efficient and produce less emission.
The most popular electric car is the Tesla. Audi answered with the e-tron series. As it appears, the e-tron car series are still concept cars. Nonetheless, it is a step of Audi towards a better environment. One of its e-tron cars was shown in the movie Iron Man III, driven by Robert Downey, Jr. The Audi R8 e-tron is now available for building upon the purchaser鈥檚 request. The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, however, is no longer a concept car. Unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Audi showed the world how much it cared about the environment. In the middle of 2014, it has been on sale across Europe. As concept cars, the performance of e-tron is still uncertain. The development of the Audi R8 e-tron has shown a battery capacity that can reach up to 450 km per charge. The distance is surely to bring the car owner to far places. For those that want an e-tron now, the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, a plug-in hybrid car, is available for purchase. The power of the R8 e-tron, though, cannot be ignored. The engine is expected to produce 309 hp which can push the R8 e-tron from 0-100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds. However, the performance of the A3 Sportback e-tron is already a reality. With an engine that can bring the car from 0-100 km/h in just 7.6 seconds and a battery range of 950 km, it surely is a powerful eco-friendly sports car.
However, the S model, which is the most popular variant, trades last year's turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 for a new one. We spent the majority of our time in the Macan S. Its new V-6 scraps the previous twin-turbo setup for a single twin-scroll turbocharger that resides in the valley made by the two cylinder banks. It squeezes out an additional 8 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque, for new totals of 348 ponies and 354 lb-ft. We clocked the previous Macan S at 4.7 seconds from zero to 60 mph, and the updates might subtract a tenth from that time. Compared to the base model鈥攚hich we drove briefly鈥攖he V-6's additional shove is most noticeable when pulling away from a stop or when matting the pedal. When you're cruising along and ask for additional acceleration, the V-6 takes a moment to spool up its turbo and as a result doesn't feel all that much livelier than the blown four. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (Porsche's PDK) is ultra-responsive and quick-shifting, yet also well mannered in low-speed maneuvers.
It remains arguably the best transmission of its type. For either engine, on-the-move throttle response benefits from switching the drive mode into Sport or Sport Plus. New for 2019, cars equipped with the Sport Chrono package now come with a drive-mode dial on the steering wheel, as seen in other Porsches. That positioning invites more frequent switching between modes, and the dial also includes a Sport Response button that moves all settings into max sport mode for 20 seconds (with a countdown in the instrument cluster). The bigger tech news within the cabin is the switch to a larger 10.9-inch touchscreen. Its ultra-sharp resolution is most evident in the full-width navigation mode, in which the Macan's new standard LTE internet connection incorporates Google Maps. The system is highly customizable via configurable tiles in three different sizes, which can alter the home screen as well as notification readouts. Doing so, however, is not the work of a moment, and for some owners the system's complexity may require engaging the aid of a tech-savvy teen to get the setup just the way you want it.
Outside of the central dash, the interior is largely carryover, with a ramplike center console that's home to a blizzard of nearly identical buttons. And the Macan does invite hard cornering, more than almost any other SUV. It isn't just the skillful tuning of the powertrain and chassis that makes the Macan so good. Porsche engineers benefit from physics, too. As you might guess from looking at it, the Macan is lower than most SUVs. At 63.9 inches tall, it's 1.1 inches lower than the Jaguar F-Pace and 1.4 inches lower than an Audi Q5, for example. And while sporty versions of competing SUVs can be made to handle remarkably well, from behind the wheel their high driver's perch often feels at odds with those abilities. The Macan has none of that awkwardness, instead imparting confidence as the driver explores its capabilities. Its athleticism just seems more natural. The flip side, however, is that the Macan's tidy dimensions take a toll on its utility. The rear seat is cramped, and forget sticking a passenger in the middle. The low roofline and the rounded rump also impinge on the cargo hold. Luggage space is a sedanlike 18 cubic feet behind the rear seats鈥? cubic feet less than in a Q5. For those who can accept those limitations, the 2019 Macan offers a driving experience unlike that of other SUVs. And should you find a Macan too small, well, there's always the new Cayenne.