New Honda Civic Type R Reclaims FWD Nurburgring Lap Record

Some four months after the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport was crowned the 'Ring King, Honda have stolen the show with their all-new Civic Type R.

The automaker posted a time of 7 minutes and 43.8 seconds, which makes it nearly 5.5 seconds quicker around the iconic track than its German rival, and almost 7 seconds faster than its predecessor.

For the run, Honda used a pre-production model, which is said to have been "technically representative of production specification".

The car had a full floating roll cage for safety reasons, which did not provide any additional rigidity to the body frame according to Honda, and to compensate for the added weight, the rear seats and Display Audio system were removed. Moreover, the Nurburgring record for front-wheel drive production cars was achieved using street legal, track-focused tires.

"The cornering speed achieved in the new Type R is higher because the car features a wider track and tires, a longer wheelbase, a new multi-link suspension in the rear and optimized aerodynamics that improve stability", commented the lead chassis engineer for the Honda Civic Type R development, Ryuichi Kijima.

Honda's official gave a good example of proper engineering: "Drivers typically enter the corner after Metzgesfeld at around 150 km/h (93 mph). Even at this medium-speed corner, the speed is around 10 km/h (6mph) higher due to the new Type R's excellent stability. So, with improved cornering performance, we can increase the speed throughout the lap, helping the new Type R to achieve a much quicker lap time."

Officially presented during the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the all-new Honda Civic Type R is the first one of its kind to be offered in North America.

It uses a 2.0-liter VTEC turbo engine that churns out 320PS (316hp) and 400Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, married to a six-speed manual gearbox. The official naught to 100km/h (62mph) time has yet to be released, but it definitely slashes something off its predecessor's 5.7sec. 

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New Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+ Edition 1 Joins The Estate

In order to celebrate the market launch of the new generation E63 and E63 S Estate in Germany, with other markets to follow shortly, Mercedes-AMG have launched a special edition version of the car.


Baptized the Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+ Estate Edition 1, it carries an MSRP of €139,980 ($152,575) on its local market, including tax, and is available for approximately one year. It sports a design Selenite Grey Magno paintwork, or an optional Designo Night Black Magno, and comes with the AMG Night package to boost its appearance, dynamic stripes above the side sill panels, and 20-inch wheels, with a matte black look, and a high-gloss polished rim flange.
'Edition 1' lettering on the sports steering wheel in black Dinamica microfiber, 12-o'clock marking in black, Nappa leather, yellow stitching, AMG Performance seats, yellow highlights, and carbon fiber trim enhance the appearance of the cabin.
For the new E63 4Matic+ Estate, whose 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 develops 571PS (563hp) and 750Nm (533lb-ft) of torque, Mercedes-AMG are asking at least €112,907 ($123,066), whereas the E63 S 4Matic+ Estate, with its 612PS (603hp) and 850Nm (627lb-ft) of torque, can be had from €124,688 ($135,907). Both models make use of the brand's 9-speed dual-clutch transmission.

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2018 BMW M550d xDrive Has Four Turbos And 400 Hp.

BMW is doubling its 5-Series M Performance models with the new diesel-powered M550d xDrive

Available in both sedan and the more practical Touring (station wagon) body styles, the M550d comes with standard rear-biased all-wheel drive, but it’s what lies under the hood that makes this 5er special. 

Improving upon the previous M550d that had a tri-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six, BMW’s engineers added a fourth turbo to create the world’s most powerful six-cylinder diesel unit. 

The two low pressure turbochargers that are new and replace the previous large-sized third turbocharger, are permanently powered during travel. The second high-pressure turbocharger kicks in at engine speeds of over 2,500 rpm. BMW says that at high load requirement from idling, the two low-pressure turbochargers are briefly circumvented by means of a flap control system to build up boost pressure even faster.

Retaining the same displacement as before, the quad-turbo’d lump has an output of 400PS (294 kW/ 395hp) at 4,400 rpm, and 760Nm (560 lb-ft) of torque delivered from just 2,000 rpm, which is more than the outgoing M5 (680Nm / 501 lb-ft). Fun fact – more than 450Nm (332 lb-ft) are available from as low as 1,000rpm. 

Power is transferred through a standard, M Performance-tuned 8-speed automatic transmission, with the M550d xDrive sedan accelerating from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.4 seconds and the Touring in 4.6 seconds. Both have an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h (155mph). 

Naturally, it wins hands down when it comes to fuel consumption with BMW quoting an average of 5.9 l/100 km (39.9mpg US / 47.9mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of 154g/km for the sedan and 6.2l/100km (37.9mpg US / 45.6mpg UK) with 163g/km for the Touring on the European driving cycle. 

As with the M550i, the diesel gains an M Sport suspension that lowers the body by 10mm, with an adaptive M Suspension Professional featuring Dynamic Damper Control offered as an option. The M550d also gets what BMW calls an Integral Active Steering with a variable rack-and-pinion ratio.

Elsewhere, the M550d features an M styling treatment with specific bumpers, the rear with a diffuser, side sills, blue brake calipers and a boot spoiler for the saloon. Cerium grey has been used on trim elements including the kidney grilles, door mirrors as well as on the standard 19-inch wheels shod in 245/40 R19 tires front and 275/35 R19 rear. If you want to go bigger,  20-inch wheels are offered as an option. 

Inside, beyond the illuminated sill trims with an ‘M550d’ inscription, the front passengers get contoured sport seats, while the cabin has been dressed in swaths of leather, Alcantara and aluminum trims. The M-specific steering wheel with shift paddles, pedals, and instrument display round out the upgrades over the regular 5. 

                                                                                                                     

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