European cars
Renault Adds Kadjar To The Family
Renault have added another SUV to their burgeoning range. Renault claims the Kadjar name is based on two words: Kad is inspired by quad to represent a go anywhere four wheeled vehicle, and Jar recalls the French words agile and jaillir respectively representing agility and suddenly emerging from somewhere. Okay then.
Regardless, it’s based on another car with an odd name, the Qashqai from Nissan. It makes the Kadjar slightly bigger than the Captur. Pricing for the three model range (Life, Zen, Intens) starts from $29,990. Power is from a turbo 1.3L engine developed with Daimler. Peak power is 117kW (5,500rpm) and torque is a not indecent 260 torques at 1,750rpm. Economy is quoted as 6.3L/100km for the Euro6 compliant, 95RON, engine from a 50L tank. Transmission is a seven speed dual clutch auto. the Life and Zen roll on 17 inch wheels with 215/60 rubber, the Intens goes up to 19s and 225/45 tyres.
Length is 4,449mm, height is 1,607mm, and boot volume is 408L to 1,478L. The exterior is pure current Renault. C shaped LED driving lights, a fluid and organic look to the panels, and chrome highlights add bling to the front and windowline. Black urethane panels add visual appeal and a protective layer to the lower extremities. Inside is a 7.0 inch touchscreen, patterned covers for the seats, and an ergonomically focused design to the elegant sweep of the dashboard. A Bose audio system can be found in the Intens, along with electric seats. The Life and Zen are manually operated, with Zen also having manual lumbar adjustment.
All three levels have a pair of 12V sockets, with the Life having a pair of USB ports up front. Zen and Intens have an extra pair for the rear. All three have voice activation, with the Life missing out on navigation. It doesn’t miss out on safety though, with front and rear sensors common across the range. However, side sensors it does miss out on. Blind Spot Warning and Lane Departure Warning are also not fitted to the Life. Intens gets hands free parking assistance as well as auto high beam. All three have auto on headlights.
Renault provide a five year and unlimited kilometre warranty. Service intervals are pretty good too, just quietly, with 12 months or 30,000 kilometres. Metallic paint is a $750 option and a glass roof is $1,000.
Deposits can be taken online via the Renault website.
Dieselgate Over? VW To Pay Up.
Volkswagen Australia has agreed to pay up to $140,000,000 to 100,000 Australian customers after it was found to be responsible for fuel consumption figures that varied substantially from the advertised. Buyers that purchased from the Audi, Skoda, and Volkswagen stables are eligible for payments of up to $1,400. The vehicles concerned are powered by their 2.0-litre “EA189” TDI engines.
A statement released by VW Australia says: ““this is a significant step towards fully resolving the diesel lawsuits in Australia, subject to approval by the Federal Court of Australia”. A number of class actions, including one from Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, were based on the consumption figures and the resultant lowering of resale values. The settlement itself, says VW Australia, will be on a no-admissions basis. Settlements are expected to be concluded by sometime in 2020.
The lead plaintiff in this case is Alister Dalton. He’s said: “it’s pleasing there will finally be some closure and a resolution for thousands of Australians. It’s important that it forces some recognition from VW that there was a serious issue they had to face up to and deal with here in Australia regarding their vehicles.”
Bugatti's Chiron Goes Lower For Higher.
When automotive speed records are talked about, engine power and a slippery, aerodynamically shaped, body are the first thoughts. Weight, too, is a thought. Then there is the type of vehicle and it’s fair to think of jet or rocket powered cars. Australia’s Rosco McGlashan, for example, is finalising his Aussie Invader 5 rocket car for a tilt at the outright speed record. But what about location?
Bugatti recently faced that question head on when it came to attempting and creating a supercar speed record of 304.773 miles per hour or 490.484 kilometres per hour. Although the Chiron based car, driven by British born Bugatti chief test driver Andy Wallace, had been lengthened in the body by chassis maker Dallara for a better airflow, had a modified exhaust for the otherwise standard quad-turbo 1,600hp W16 engine, and had been lowered in height, Bugatti had looked into a couple of locations for the attempt. As it turns out, there’s some “Big Bang Theory” style physics involved.
In Germany is a state known as Lower Saxony. It’s situated in the north-west of the country, and it’s home to a very special part of the automotive world. It’s the Ehra-Lessien high speed bowl. There are three lanes and the track is 21 kilometres, or 13 miles, in length. Naturally, safety is crucial, and at the northern and southern ends are high quality safety facilities should things go awry. That is a positive, straight away. However, the physics comes from the height of the location itself. Ehra-Lessien is virtually at sea-level, which means air pressure and density is higher than a location even just 1,000 metres higher. The actual molecules of air are more tightly compressed at sea level and as height increases, that density decreases as a result of the pressure falling off.
Nevada, in the west of the continental United States, plays host to many high speed attempts. Neighbouring Utah has the Bonneville salt flats, and these are 1,291 metres above sea level. This height difference has the benefit of having air pressure at around 86% to 88% lower than at sea level, such as that found at Ehra-Lessien. This effectively means that less engine effort is required to achieve, theoretically, the same speed at sea level.
There is a name for the relationship between inertial forces and frictional forces. This is called the Reynolds Number. This equation is then used with air pressure & density and a vehicle’s drag coefficient. Climb a mountain and the Reynolds Number decreases in correlation with the density of the air. To use 1,000 metres as a yardstick density has decreased by around ten percent, and the Reynolds Number also has decreased by ten percent. However it’s been calculated that the Reynolds Number is still at a level that has a vehicle’s drag coefficient virtually equaling what it would read at sea level. This became part of Bugatti’s choice in location, with the safety facilities becoming the sealer of the deal.
Although it was calculated that the Bugatti Chiron could have seen a v-Max of 329mph, possibly even 330mph, by undertaking the attempt in the U.S., the final differences were, in Bugatti’s opinion, not worth the effort needed to get to the proposed Nevada location. It was deemed that the safety factor in Germany was higher and the chance of a “mere” extra 25mph by using a higher location was outweighed in the safety stakes because of a one way track, meaning if there had been an incident, safety vehicles would take longer to reach the site.
As it is, Bugatti have created a new supercar speed record and they’re now content to leave that area of challenge to focus on further developments of their range.
BMW Unveils 1 Series M140i Finale Edition
Rear wheel drive and a front mounted engine has been a BMW hallmark for decades. The 1 series hatch has been a comparitively new part of the configuration’s history for the iconic German brand, and with the model’s end in sight, the company has signed off on the Finale package for the 2019 BMW 1 Series M140i.
The Finale package on its own is worth $3000, and with the M140i priced at $62,990, it’s a reasonable ask. Here’s what the spec list, built on an already well specified car, looks like.
M branded alloys of 18 inch diameters in 436 M Orbit Grey will underpin the Finale, whilst on top is a glass sunroof. At each end are darkened lights with the front end getting a high gloss blackout look that complements the black chrome tail pipes. Bespoke badging sets off the colour work outside. An extra tech piece is added in the form a smartphone charging pad.
Motorvation is from the 250kW, 500Nm, straight six engine of 3.0L capacity. Hooked up to an eight speed auto there’s enough grunt to see one hundred klicks in 4.6 seconds. Fuel consumption is rated as 7.1L for every one hundred kilometres driven. And the standard equipment list is pretty good too. Blue painted calipers hold the M Sports brakes, there are adaptive LED headlights with BMW Selective Beam, and Adaptive M Suspension.
There is BMW’s Navigation System Professional with the built-in 8.8-inch display, plus BMW ConnectedDrive system which can be enjoyed from the seats complete with Leather Dakota upholstery, along with BMW’s Comfort Access System.
Contact your BMW dealer for more details.
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