Nother CarGuy

Like Americans, Europeans are enamored with SUVs but across the pond, there’s still plenty of love left for station wagons that often prove more popular than their sedan counterparts. With Genesis having taken its European assault seriously, the Koreans have presented their very first estate model under the ‘Shooting Brake’ moniker based on the new G70 compact luxury sedan. Designed with European customers in mind (sorry America), the G70 Shooting Brake will be the fifth model Genesis has confirmed for its market launch in the continent this summer, after the G70 and G80 sedans, and the GV70 and GV80 SUVs. With the Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3-Series Touring and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate in its sights, the 2021 G70 Shooting Brake has identical dimensions to the sedan. It is 4,685 mm (184.4 in) long, 1,850 mm (72.8 in) wide and 1,400 mm (55.1 in) tall, and has a 2,835 mm (111.6 in) long wheelbase. The redesigned rear end and the longer roof have opened up more boot space, with the automaker ...

Volkswagen might have played it safe with the 2020 Golf Mk8, but Seat is here to spice things up with the all-new Leon. Looking even better than its predecessor, the redesigned Leon has a bold front fascia with an upright grille that is flanked by slender LED headlights featuring distinctive daytime running lights. Further below, there are sporty air intakes and horizontal fog lights. The dynamic styling continues further back as the Leon has a sculpted hood and flowing bodywork. The latter features pronounced fenders and strong character lines. Elsewhere, the Leon has a rakish windscreen and a gently sloping roof which meets a tailgate-mounted spoiler. The model also has a dynamic greenhouse and a sporty rear end with slender taillights that are connected by a thin illuminated strip. Overall, the hatchback measures 172 inches (4,368 mm) long, 70.9 inches (1,800 mm) wide and 57.3 inches (1,456 mm) tall with a wheelbase that spans 105.7 inches (2,686 mm). This means the...

Vauxhall has released the first photos of the 2020 Astra and the accompanying press release makes no mention of any design tweaks. A close look at the pictures reveals why: the only changes we could identify include the revised front bumper and new alloys. So what is really new about the facelifted Astra then? Well, Vauxhall says the new model is up to 19 percent more efficient courtesy of new PSA-sourced 1.2-liter three-cylinder gasoline engines and 1.5-liter four-cylinder diesels, as well as a new nine-speed automatic transmission. Furthermore, the Astra gains class-leading technology and equipment. Starting off with the engines, the big news is the addition of the new 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit from PSA, available in three states of tune: 110 PS (109 hp) and 195 Nm (144 lb-ft), 130 PS (128 hp) and 225 Nm (166 lb-ft), and 145 PS (143 hp) and 225 Nm (166 lb-ft). Each version is mated to a new PSA-sourced six-speed manual gearbox as standard and preli...

Porsche has officially confirmed that the Mission E Cross Turismo will spawn a production version, alongside the Taycan at the Zuffenhausen facility. It’s unknown when series production will kick off, as Porsche is keeping all other aspects close to its chest for now, but it has been speculated that the production Mission E Cross Turismo might arrive on the market in 2021. By then, Porsche would have hired an additional 300 people at the plant, who will be responsible for putting it together. Essentially a derivative of the upcoming 2019 Porsche Taycan, the Mission E Cross Turismo was previewed by a concept car at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. The study has a rather futuristic look and a more practical interior, capable of hauling different equipment easily. It will be interesting to see whether some of the technologies found in the cabin of the show car will equip the final production version, such as the eye-tracking control for the instrument cluster. Porsche is believed to...

The Porsche Panamera lineup is growing as the company has taken the wraps off the 2019 Panamera GTS. Starting under the hood, the GTS has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine that produces 453 hp (338 kW / 460 PS) and 457 lb-ft (620 Nm) of torque – 19 hp (15 kW / 20 PS) and 73 lb-ft (100 Nm) more than its predecessor. The engine is connected to an eight-speed PDK transmission and an all-wheel drive system which enables the Panamera GTS and Panamera GTS Sport Turismo to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 4.1 seconds. Given enough room, the model will eventually hit a top speed of up to 181 mph (292 km/h). Of course, the performance changes extend beyond the engine compartment as the Panamera GTS comes standard with an adaptive air suspension and a 10mm reduced ride height. Other notable changes include a retuned Porsche Active Suspension Management system and a beefier braking system with larger discs that measure 15.3 inches (390 mm) up front and 14.3 inches (365 mm) out...

Kia has revealed the new ProCeed, which has transformed from a three-door hatchback into a five-door shooting brake as previewed by last year’s concept. The new Kia ProCeed is the third and most dynamic member of the expanded Ceed family, which also includes the hatchback and Sportswagon bodystyles. Measuring 4,605 mm long and 1,422 mm tall, the new ProCeed is 5 mm longer and 43 mm lower than the Ceed Sportswagon, with ground clearance also reduced by 5 mm. Boot capacity of the ProCeed is marginally smaller when compared with the Sportswagon (594lt over 625lt). The new ProCeed will act as the halo model of the Ceed family and will be available as a ‘GT-Line’ or the range-topping GT model. Kia’s new shooting brake model has been penned at the company’s European design center in Frankfurt under the guidance of Gregory Guillaume and Peter Schreyer. “Europe’s shrinking market for three-door hatchbacks brought the future of the pro_cee’d in question,” said Gregory Guil...

Less than two years after their launch, Hyundai’s i30 5-door and Wagon get their first significant update. The compact models gain a new Smartstream 1.6-liter diesel engine that complies with Euro 6d Temp emission standards, as well as a subtle design update and new connectivity features. Thanks to the powertrain upgrade, Hyundai says the entire i30 family (i30 five-door, i30 Wagon, i30 Fastback and i30 N) is now compliant with the latest emission standards. The newly-developed Smartstream 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel engine is available in three states of tune: 96 PS (95 hp), 116 PS (114 hp), and 136 PS (134 hp). The entry-level version is matched with a six-speed manual transmission while the mid- and top-range engines also offer the option of a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (7DCT). The most economical of them all is the base engine which returns 3.9-3.8 l/100 km (104-99 g/km CO2). All Smartstream engines get exhaust fluid after-treatment systems, which ...

This is not the first time that ABT has worked their magic on the Audi RS6 Avant, but their latest (conceptual, for now) project is truly impressive. Building upon the latest iteration of Ingolstadt’s super estate, which received the tuner’s in-house developed engine control unit and modified exhaust system, the RS6-E adds an electric motor in the transmission tunnel. The latter brings “an extra boost to the rear axle at the press of a button”, as ABT explains, and unleashes a combined output of 1,018PS (1,004hp / 750kW) and 1,291Nm (952lb-ft) of torque. The extra muscle represents a 288PS (284hp / 212kW) increase over the previously tuned RS6 Avant, and 413PS (407hp / 304kW) more than the stock model. When the internal combustion engine works together with the electric motor, which is backed up by a 13.6kWh battery, all hell breaks loose. The Estate prototype takes as little as 3.3 seconds to cover the 0-100km/h (0-62mph) acceleration and can reach a top speed of 320...

If there’s one thing Audi knows to do aside from Quattro all-wheel drive systems, that’s creating handsome station wagons like the all-new A6 Avant. Following in the footsteps of the redesigned sedan, the new A6 Avant has a wide singleframe grille and more muscular bodywork. Despite its focus on practicality, the wagon has a gently sloping roofline and rakish D-pillars. These styling decisions likely reduce the cargo capacity but they seem like a worthwhile tradeoff as the model has a sportier appearance than its predecessor. Sticking with the exterior, the standard model comes equipped with LED headlights while range-topping variants offer HD Matrix LED headlights with distinctive daylight running lights. Audi also notes the sporty styling is more than just about looks as the entry-level A6 Avant will have a drag coefficient of 0.27. The interior largely carries over from the sedan and models equipped with the MMI navigation plus system have a 12.3-inch digital instr...