First Drive: The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ Is A Beautiful Electric Porpoise

Posted on December 23, 2021 by admin

I Don’t Know What To Do With All This Tech

My husband used to be a sales associate at a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Montreal, and he’s spent the entire duration of our marriage telling me that no automaker is as luxuriously high-tech as Mercedes. I have never discounted this observation. I’ve just also never felt the need to drive an extremely tech-heavy car. I still have a hard time dealing with a tiny infotainment screen.

So I think it’s probably a little bit of an understatement to say that the EQS’s offerings are a bit overwhelming. After I laughed out loud at the exterior, I also laughed out loud at the absolutely massive Hyperscreen. I wanted to ask it if it was compensating for something. I wanted to ask why such a cute fella needs such a big screen.

Functionally, the Hyperscreen is great. A single piece of curved glass, it’s a gorgeous feat of technological innovation that works with rapid speed due to an eight-core processor and 24 gigabytes of RAM. You tap on anything, and there’s not going to be lag. You’re immediately transported to the place you chose to go in the infotainment system.

The graphics are also gorgeous, but again, it’s a little bit Much. There’s a screen for the driver, one of the passenger, and a tall screen in the center, and in those latter two, you can access everything from radio controls to vehicle settings to satellite maps to photo galleries to video games. I did poke around the Tetris game and found it took a while to load but was otherwise fun. I still can’t imagine myself using an infotainment screen instead of my phone for gaming, though.

Even worse, you still get a lot of glare, despite the fact that Mercedes tried its best to avoid that. There’s not really anything you’re going to be able to do about the reflection of the sun when it’s especially bright.

You can also navigate with conversational commands after saying, “Hey Mercedes.” As in, you can say something like, “Hey Mercedes, I want coffee,” and your car will find you the nearest coffee spots. I used to hate voice commands because it was next to impossible to actually get what you were asking for, but this modern iteration that you see on luxury cars has really changed the game. I don’t have to think up the robotic command I’d need to change the radio station. I can just say it.

The digital dashboard was also one hell of a feature. You can cycle through tons of different displays, most of which are just mind boggling. You can literally have your navigation map displayed on your dashboard — and I don’t mean you get a little box that has navigation. The whole screen turns into a map. I’m sure some folks will enjoy it, but it was massively overwhelming for me.

As was the augmented reality navigation, which feels a little bit more video game-y than anything else. Maybe I’m just too old to appreciate these things.

The Verdict

It’s difficult to offer a verdict for a car that I can’t compare to the other vehicles in its class, I can say that the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ is a delightful vehicle that transforms much of what makes Mercedes special into a flagship luxury sedan — but it does feel like the German automaker couldn’t decide what it wanted to do. It tried to combine modern austerity with Benz’s traditional elegance, and it works… but it’s probably not going to work for everyone. It didn’t work for me, but it could very well work for you. And you know what? I respect a delightfully polarizing car.

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The 2022 Audi RS3’s Fancy New E-Diff Is Made For Drifting

Posted on June 21, 2021 by admin

The next-gen Audi RS3 is nearly upon us. We know it’ll have the proper engine, as the company not-so-subtly teased by inscribing the firing order of the RS3’s turbocharged five-cylinder on the side of its camouflaged wrap. While Audi’s not quite ready to spill all the beans on its next compact sport sedan (or wagon for lucky customers outside the U.S.), it is offering a sneak peek into a major component: the RS Torque Splitter.

First, let’s confirm those engine stats. The RS3’s 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine once again delivers 394 horsepower, though that peak power is available for a wider chunk of the rev range, from 5,600 to 7,000 rpm. There’s also slightly more torque on offer, jumping from about 354 lb-ft in the outgoing RS3 to 369 lb-ft in the new one. Once again, it’s connected to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The result is a sprint to 62 mph from a standstill that’s about three tenths of a second quicker, at 3.8 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 180 mph provided the RS Dynamic package and its ceramic brakes are optioned. An “entry-level” compact sedan that hits 60 in under four seconds — you couldn’t dream of that 15 years ago.

But that’s not what Audi appears to be most excited about with the new RS3. The company detailed the RS Torque Splitter that sits on the sport sedan’s rear axle in a presentation to media last week. The new system replaces the old rear differential, opting for electronically controlled clutches on each half shaft. These handle torque vectoring, sending power to the inner or outer rear wheels depending on cornering scenarios and slip. Here’s a deeper explanation, courtesy of Audi:

The exact distribution of drive torque always depends on the mode selected in Audi drive select and the respective driving situation. Each of the two multiple disc clutches has its own control unit, which use the electronic stabilization control’s wheel speed sensors to measure the wheel speeds. Other influencing factors include longitudinal and lateral acceleration, the steering angle, the position of the gas pedal, the selected gear, and the yaw angle, i.e. the rotational movement around the vertical axis. In addition, the torque splitter is connected to the modular vehicle dynamics controller as a higher-level entity.

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As you’d expect, the Torque Splitter factors into the RS3’s various drive modes, and there are two in particular that are especially relevant: RS Performance and RS Torque Rear. RS Performance is your optimal mode for peak grip in all conditions, aiming to strike that mythical balance between understeer and oversteer. Meanwhile, RS Torque Rear — which Audi has nicknamed “Drift Mode” and cautions is only intended for use on a closed course — sends all the power straight back, and up to 790 lb-ft of torque to either rear wheel.

The car’s Electronic Stabilization Control system has been tuned to account for the Torque Splitter and can still be turned off, for those who think they know better than stinkin’ computers. The suspension touts new shock absorbers, exclusive to the RS3, and an upgrade with adaptive dampers is available, too. For the first time, Audi will let buyers choose Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slicks from the factory if they like.

The result of all of these enhancements is “enormously” increased performance, according to Audi — though you’d figure the tires alone would make for a pretty appreciable leap. We’ll be able to share more on the RS3 in the coming weeks; until then, enjoy these pictures of the sedan and its forbidden Sportback cousin drifting all over the dang place.

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The Audi A6 E-Tron Concept Is A Long-Range EV With A Confusing Name

Posted on April 19, 2021 by admin

Audi’s electric range is finally taking shape, now that the E-Tron GT and Q4 E-Tron have joined the existing E-Tron crossover. And in case you thought the E-Tron branding couldn’t possibly get more puzzling, Audi just revealed a concept of the A6 E-Tron it expects to hit showrooms sometime in the next two years.

It’s bothering my obsessive-compulsive tendencies that E-Tron now exists as a standalone nameplate and a version of existing Audi models, but I’ll try my best to keep that down to focus on the concept itself, which looks pretty good. The A6 E-Tron debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show today, and marks the first Audi we’ve seen based on the company’s Premium Platform Electric architecture.

Audi calls the A6 E-Tron a sportback, which followers of the brand may argue actually make it more of an A7 by nature. According to Audi, the A6 name was chosen to link this car to one of the brand’s most historically significant models, and dimensionally it’s equivalent to the existing A6. Here I am again talking about the car’s name — you just can’t get away from it with these new electric Audis.

The design you see here is reportedly 95 percent representative of the final model, which isn’t bad news considering that the A6 E-Tron cleans up for the most part. Sure, it’s derivative in places — the high beltline of the profile evokes the departed Ford Fusion in my mind’s eye, and the way the headlights meet the grille — I’m sorry, the inverted face, as Audi calls it — strikes me as remarkably similar to the Mustang Mach-E’s furrowed brow. Neither of these familiarities are necessarily bad though. Don’t hold your breath for images of the interior yet — Audi is saving those for later.

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Audi designers say the tautness of the roofline and width of the track on this concept will be scaled back slightly ahead of production, though the black trim near the floor that looks like a cutaway panel will be retained. It’s a neat visual trick that slims the car down somewhat, and I like the way it trails toward the rear bumper. There are projectors at the corners that beam light at the ground to greet passengers and signal turns that may or may not make it to the final iteration. There’s a precedent for similar tech in road cars already, though, so it wouldn’t be inconceivable if it did come to pass.

In terms of performance figures, Audi is mostly keeping those close to the chest for now. This concept packs a pair of electric motors combining for 469 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. That’s projected to get the A6 E-Tron to 62 mph from a standstill in under four seconds.

Illustration for article titled The Audi A6 E-Tron Concept Is A Long-Range EV With A Confusing Name — Image: Audi

Turning to range, Audi claims the A6 E-Tron will return more than 700 km on a full charge (434 miles), though under the generous WLTP cycle. The E-Tron GT is rated for 298 miles by that same measure, so the A6 E-Tron is sure to bring a huge range improvement to the brand even if the actual, real-world distance falls short of the WLTP-based projection. For reference, the latest Tesla Model S starts at an EPA-estimated 412 miles of range.

The A6 E-Tron’s efficiency is helped by an ultralow drag coefficient of 0.22 — one of the lowest out there, matching Mercedes-Benz’s A-Class — though there’s no confirmation on whether those slight exterior changes to the production car will dent that somewhat. Like other new electric Audis, it supports 800-volt peak charging that aims to replenish 300 km of range in just 10 minutes.

As far as timing of the sedan’s arrival, for now Audi is saying only that its first PPE-based cars will emerge in the second half of next year. That will likely begin with the Q6 E-Tron, before this A6. In the meantime, I’m going to try and work out a flowchart to make sense of all these E-Trons.

The Toppola Saab Camper Was A Brilliant Idea That Would Still Be Great Today

Posted on March 8, 2021 by admin

There’s never been a better time to get out and go camping somewhere than right now. It’s a chance to be socially distant somewhere that isn’t your house. For some, camping means buying a trailer, motorhome or a whole school bus. What if you could slide a camper into the back of your family sedan? That’s exactly what Toppola campers did for some Saabs.

The Toppola campers were a bit like the campers that you slide into the beds of pickup trucks, but meant for cars instead.

According to Toppola’s website written by one of its founders, the camper is the brainchild of Arwo Pullola. In the early 1980s, Pullola wanted to build a car camper. In 1982 he met Matts Mollestam and Peter Malmberg. The duo bought the camper project from Pullola and created EMICO. The two would bring their strengths together to build a car-based camper. Malmberg and Mollestam sold boat accessories and built boats, respectively, so they wanted their campers to be built and feel like boats. Check out this tour of one!

The team got right to work making their ideas a reality and they even managed to get 10 campers delivered in the same year, too. In case you were wondering, Toppola does have an explanation for its name:

The word Toppola came from “Topp” – on top and “ola” is a refinement of the ending as Arwo originates from Finland.

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Eventually Saab got involved in the EMICO Toppola camper project and changes to the campers came along with it. The Toppola site says that Saab wanted the campers to look as good and have a similar fit and finish as Saab cars. The Toppola camper was changed from top to bottom with updates to materials and design. A combination stove and heater was added to make cooking and winter camping possible. Saab helped the EMICO team with brochures and marketing.

The partnership between Saab and Toppola was definitely two-way. As the Toppola site says, the EMICO team was involved in the development of the Saab 9000 to make sure that the camper could slide in without issues. Toppola-equipped Saabs even appeared at dealerships during the release of the Saab 9000.

Unfortunately, the partnership between EMICO and Saab ended because, as Malmberg says in the Toppola site, Saab and EMICO were too different in size and culture. EMICO itself also closed down. Sadly, misfortune became a norm for Toppola in the following years. Not only did Toppola have delays due to getting approvals from the German TÜV vehicle inspection but its shop suffered from a destructive fire.

But between the bad news came a new idea: Make the Toppola camper compatible for any car. The unit would be separated into two pieces. The upper unit was the main living space while the lower unit would be built to fit into specific cars. Such would make the Toppola modular. Imagine being able to shove a camper into any car. It also made the Toppola campers able to be fit on pickup trucks, too.

The Toppola campers were pretty roomy and lightweight. Check out these specs from Do It Yourself RV:

Exterior length: 10.8′
Interior height: 6.5′
Roof height when mounted: 8.2′
Weight: 330 lbs (once the hatchback was removed from the Saab, it only added 253 lbs to the vehicle’s weight).

They appeared to be pretty durable, too. We wrote about some Swedes that took one from Sweden to Vietnam and back!

Unfortunately, that future didn’t happen for Toppola. While Toppola got off campers for the Saab 9000, 900, and 9-3, its greater dreams never materialized. Some were also used in Ford Scorpios and Sierras. Sweden’s recession hit Toppola hard and it closed its doors in 2006. Saab didn’t last much longer.

It’s a shame because given the meteoric RV sales of today I bet something like this would be a smashing hit. Car design has also changed quite a bit since those days, but I bet a crafty engineer could get around modern car limitations.

H/T – Austin Little!

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First Drive: The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ Is A Beautiful Electric Porpoise

I Don’t Know What To Do With All This Tech

The Verdict

The 2022 Audi RS3’s Fancy New E-Diff Is Made For Drifting

The Audi A6 E-Tron Concept Is A Long-Range EV With A Confusing Name

The Toppola Saab Camper Was A Brilliant Idea That Would Still Be Great Today