Audi A8 Hybrid New 2013

If silent travel is chief among your priorities for an ecofriendly vehicle, the Audi A8 hybrid is not for you. There isn’t much in the way of quiet, electric-only operation, which makes sense, of course, given that this isn’t a fully electric car. (You can run solely on electrons for about two miles at a constant 37 mph, and if you awaken the engine, EV mode will reengage automatically when you relax on the accelerator. Top speed in all-electric mode is 62 mph.) And although you might never notice its internal-combustion heart beating if you dawdle at or below the pace of traffic, the engine brings attention to itself with a subdued but noticeable growl once you call for any real power.

The sucking, squeezing, banging, and blowing noises come from the VW Group’s ubiquitous 211-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder, teamed here with a 54-hp electric motor that’s integrated with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Electrical storage capacity is provided by a 1.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Power is sent only to the front wheels. Combined and at full steam, the powertrain delivers 245 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. This system is almost identical to the one offered in the A6 and Q5 hybrids.

We Suppose That’ll Do

We estimate the A8 hybrid can reach 60 mph in about 7.2 seconds; Audi claims a drag-limited top speed of 146 mph. It is not governed, and we found you can easily reach 155 or more mph on downhill sections of the German roads on which we drove. This kind of performance should be sufficient for most markets and customers. But it does not compare to the relentless power you feel when you step on the throttle of the 2011–12 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 (since neutered for 2013) or Lexus LS600hL. Nevertheless, piloting this A8 can be satisfying for hybrid lovers who drive without urgency. At that point, this A8’s hybrid system goes about its business unobtrusively. Up to 99 mph, you can do what VW Group brands like to call “sailing,” that is, if you take your foot off the gas, the electric motor doesn’t aggressively recapture energy, allowing for a smoother coasting experience. You’ll be all smiles at the gas station. At 37 mpg in the European combined cycle, the A8 hybrid is the most efficient gasoline-powered luxury sedan. For comparison, on the same test cycle, the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid gets 30 mpg, the LS600hL returns 25 mpg, and the 2011–12 ActiveHybrid 7 achieved 25 mpg. (We estimate ratings for the A8 hybrid on the somewhat more realistic EPA cycle at 24 mpg city and 34 highway.)

During spirited driving, you can feel the electric motor lending a hand, a welcome boost during quick passing maneuvers as long as the batteries aren’t depleted, which happens all too quickly. As for when the road begins to bend, it isn’t much fun to test the A8 hybrid’s limits. We love piloting any A8—and we include the sporty S8 here—and it’s our reigning champion in the segment, but this is the least dynamic of the bunch. Even with 290-ish pounds of hybrid gear, at an estimated 4150 pounds, the car isn’t very heavy versus its competition. But with power routed only to the front wheels, this hybrid relentlessly and gracelessly pushes through corners; we wished for Quattro. There is only one other front-drive A8 variant: the Europe-only 204-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 diesel version, which incidentally gets even better combined mileage than the hybrid at 39 mpg on the EU cycle. The brakes are relatively numb, but the transition from electric recuperation to hydraulic braking is well camouflaged.

Other A8s Make More Sense

Otherwise, the A8 hybrid is an exceedingly comfortable long-distance cruiser, and its four-cylinder-based powertrain is sufficient if performance and bragging are not your main objectives. But how much sense does the hybridization make? Its drawbacks include extra weight and complexity, the gas tank shrinks from 23.8 to 19.8 gallons, and trunk space is down from 18 cubic feet to a far-less-usable 11.8.

Audi is bullish about the A8 hybrid's potential in the European market and particularly in China, but it doesn’t believe enough buyers could be found in the U.S. to justify bringing it here. In Europe, it costs less than the 372-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 Quattro but more than the diesel 3.0 TDI with either front-wheel drive or Quattro, as well as the 290-hp version of the gas-fired 3.0T Quattro. All of these, in our opinion, would be more attractive choices, and American A8 buyers looking to scratch an efficiency itch will get by just fine with the 3.0-liter diesel model scheduled to arrive in the next year or so.

July 2012 || BY JENS MEINERS || MULTIPLE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ford Focus ST 2013 New

Perhaps the new benchmark in performance compacts.

Once the SVT Focus departed in 2004, we were left staring across the Atlantic wishing for a hot version of Ford’s small car. Now, the Focus ST is here. You can walk into a Ford showroom and plunk down a deposit on 252 horsepower of automotive glee, with deliveries starting later this summer. Consider the Focus ST less of Ford’s answer to the Volkswagen GTI and more of a challenge, throwing down the gauntlet for rights to the sport-compact performance crown.

Fresh and Ready

Our first taste of the Focus ST came at Ford’s Lommel proving grounds in Belgium, where we sampled the tail-happy chassis tuning and electronic wizardry of the torque-steer compensation system from the passenger’s seat. Since then, a few tweaks have been made to the final product. The active sound symposer, a sound tube with a separate throttle body that pipes intake noise straight into the cabin, has been tweaked to offer a deeper tone. On-center steering response has been tightened up in accordance with the ST’s sporting mission, as has the shift lever.

The rest of the details remain unchanged, although the output numbers, now SAE certified, have seen slight upticks. Ford’s turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder sits under the hood, with a unique intake and exhaust. The aforementioned 252 hp comes at 5500 rpm. Maximum torque is 270 lb-ft at 2700 rpm, and an overboost feature helps preserve a nearly flat torque curve by allowing higher turbo pressures for up to 15 seconds at a time. The front brakes are bigger than on a standard Focus, the suspension is lowered 0.4 inch, the springs and dampers are specially tuned, and the rear suspension is revised with a unique mount for the anti-roll bar.

What’s more, as Ford promised, the Focus ST has the same mechanical specification worldwide, right down to the 235/40-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tires. Which is not to say our Focus ST is outfitted identically to those in every other market—most notably, U.S.-market STs do not come standard with the Recaro seats shown in the model at auto shows. Those come as part of the $2385 ST2 package, which also includes automatic climate control and an 8.0-inch touch screen. For an extra $4435, the ST3 package adds heat and full leather to those seats, plus amenities such as HID headlights, LED daytime running lamps, and navigation.

Consider the Recaros mandatory—they hug your sides slightly tighter, you sit a little deeper than in a regular Focus. As such, you can look at the ST’s base price not as the advertised $24,495 but instead the $26,880 required with the ST2 package included. Even so equipped, the ST matches up favorably in terms of price and features against the Volkswagen GTI and Mazdaspeed 3, as well as Subaru’s WRX and BRZ, Ford’s own V-6 Mustang, and the rest of the crowded sub-$30,000 performance segment.

In the absence of those vehicles for a direct comparison, the Focus ST is, well, pretty amazing. Our drive route took us through southern France, and on both highway and two-lane mountain roads, the Focus appears to fulfill the promise of the affordable daily-driver performance car. When you first sit down in the driver’s seat, you notice the unique interior pieces immediately. A trio of gauges—oil temperature, boost pressure, and oil pressure—sit atop the dashboard. The steering wheel is covered in soft leather with wax paper–like grippiness and thin, high-density foam padding underneath. Less obvious is the stability-control switch in front of the shift lever, absent on lesser Foci, which toggles between full on, sport mode, and fully off.

Willing and Able

The ST proves easy to drive in traffic, with plenty of low-end torque and an easy-to-master clutch and shifter. At higher speeds, the cabin is quiet, as is the exhaust. Drop from sixth to third gear, though, and a smooth engine note fills the cabin—almost a refined blat. The steering—electrically assisted via a rack-mounted motor—is quick at 1.8 turns lock-to-lock. This is partially due to the variable rack, and partially due to the lack of steering angle; the Focus ST’s biggest fault may be its appalling 39.4-foot turning radius. The quick steering feels natural during cornering, and it dials in its substantial heft as well as any electric system.

Hold your right foot down long enough, and the ST will rev past redline to a soft 6800-rpm fuel cutoff. Sweeping up through the rev range is smooth and linear, and feels stronger than the horsepower rating suggests. Ford claims a 0-to-60 time of 6.2 seconds, which seems conservative—we’re thinking something more like six flat. The torque-steer compensation does a decent job, but a tug on the wheel can be provoked with a quick hit of the throttle. Considering all the twist routed through the front wheels, though, we find the system effective.

Equally impressive is the suspension, which handles bumps with a single up-down motion. It’s stiff enough for some head toss when the road undulates heavily, but it’s a worthwhile trade-off for the handling. As we suspected from our preview, this is a car that goes exactly where you point it, all the more remarkable due to its front-wheel-drive layout. And the tail-happy nature is still present, although it’s less prevalent in the dry than during the damp day in Lommel.

Let’s get back to the ST’s main competitors, the GTI and the Mazdaspeed 3. Both have powertrains that essentially date back years to previous generations. That speaks to the essential goodness of both cars, especially in the case of the 10Best-winning VW, but it also gives the impression that neither company is much interested in making significant progress.

The Focus, then, exploits some of that weakness. Where the GTI can be criticized—a softness in suspension and brakes when pushed hard, some lack of power—the ST simply cannot. And where the Mazdaspeed shows its rough edges—wheel-wrestling torque steer and a harsh ride—the ST is smooth. In terms of feel, the Ford splits the gap between these two cars, delivering a good deal of the creamy usability of the VW and much of the balls-out raucousness of the Mazda. An inevitable comparison test will show where the Ford ranks in direct competition, but we can say with certainty that the Focus ST should be on any car enthusiast’s shopping list.
By. BY MICHAEL AUSTIN, June 2012