The new Range Rover Evoque was unveiled in its coupe version at the Paris Motor Show that preceded the show in L.A. The Evoque was previously known as the LRX and from the two-door version the natural step was towards a five-door one. Land Rover is in the business of making luxurious SUV’s and the Range Rover Evoque is just that. It gets a higher roofline to seat passengers more comfortably and is also a couple of inches wider to allow for more shoulder room.
The 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 5-Door uses the same powertrain as the two-door version and is powered by the 2.2 liter four-cylinder diesel engine giving out a maximum 187 horsepower and the gasoline power 2.0 liter unit using an EcoBoost I-4 will deliver an amazing 237 horsepower. The diesel will be front-wheel drive while the gasoline will be an all-wheel-drive affair.
Being from the Land Rover stable the vehicle is bound to have some amount of off-road capability and thus comes equipped with Land Rover’s Terrain Response system that provides grip on loose surfaces, with the Adaptive Dynamics and MagneRide dampers providing assistance on the tarmac. The inside of the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 5-Door also does not disappoint and is luxuriously fitted with leather and metallic surfaces, panoramic sun-roof, advanced audio system and surround cameras.
Expect the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque five-door to hit markets in the summer of 2011 and the vehicle will be available in the choice of three trims: Dynamic, Prestige and Pure. Prices are expected to start around $40,000 depending on trims levels and options.
Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante – Heavy on the Name, Light on the Specs
What would a car show be like without its fair share of supercars and supermodels? The Lamborghini exhibition stand is teeming with both as well as eager viewers dying for a glimpse of both beauties. The Lamborghini stand at the LA Auto Show is showcasing its latest Gallardo – the Spyder Performante and this is one seriously fast car. Lamborghini has done away with the traditional thinking of bigger engines to achieve faster cars and instead focuses on light weight materials with the new car.
Lamborghini also recently opened its Advanced Composite Research Center (ACRC) to help with this issue and the first car it chose to improve was the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante. It is hard enough to create a car that is able to accelerate from 0-100 mph before you finish saying its name (albeit a long one), but engineers at Lamborghini started out by shaving off 143 pounds by using light weight carbon fiber in the interior and body. Carbon fiber roughly accounts for about 40 percent of the entire car and the engine compartment cover, top lid, rear diffuser, side spills, spoiler and even some chassis components were made from the wonderful material.
Engineers also used light weight mechanical parts to lighten the weight of the vehicle although the body still consists of mainly aluminum. Just because weight was at a premium, Lamborghini engineers were not willing to cut corners when it came to their customer comforts and the vehicle still includes air-conditioning, navigation, power windows and an anti-theft alarm system.
The vehicle is fitted with a 5.2 liter V-10 direct injection engine that puts out a staggering 570 horsepower and maximum torque of 398 pound-feet. The engine uses a dry-sump lubrication system with variable cam timing to achieve the necessary power to propel the car from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds flat at a top speed of 201 mph. This in combination with a new rear diffuser and underbody panels give the Lamborghini the best aerodynamics as well as making it cleaner than the current 570-4.
The Gallardo 570-4 Spyder Performante comes with the same 19-inch wheels found on the Superleggera and are wrapped by 235/35 and 295/30 Pirelli Pzero Corsas at the front and rear respectively. 70 percent of the power from the engine is transferred to the rear tires during normal driving conditions making the car fell more rear-wheel-drive. There is no delivery date announced as of yet but I would bet on the Sant’Agata (where the Lamborghini is manufactured) being sold out.
