Monday News Snippets 2019 #21 - Developments From The Weekend and Beyond

Snippets:

• The All-Female GP ‘W Series’ has F1 synergy potential, watch this space
• BMW unleashes its most powerful M5 – the 460kW Edition 35
• Ford South Africa have agreed to fix their door security problem
• The Toyota Supra Carbon Fibre TRD hop-ups are go! Now we just need the car

The Porsche Cayenne S Coupe is launched internationally

And it will go toe-to-toe with those who would be its usurpers, I’m looking at you BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Coupe and even the new Audi Q8.

What do you reckon, do these challengers have a shot against a truly sporty luxury utility vehicle? Crucially, the Porsche will come in S derivative and that means 324kW from its 2.9 litre turbo V6 and with it a 5 second sprint to 100kph. Did we mention it’s a Porsche?

Check out the new Audi A4 styling

“What a departure!” says nobody ever, about the gentle evolution of the styling of that most famous Audi saloon car.

Nor will they here with this, which we suspect might be the new model. We’re being somewhat cheeky – with the new Ingolstadt saloon now looking more svelte than ever, its business suit styling now firmly pressed.

You just know they’ll sell them quicker than they can print them.

We have Ford Ranger Raptor Pricing

And it is R786,400. Is that a lot? Is it a little? Who knows, there’s not been an official hot Ford Truck in Mzansi before, certainly not a Raptor.

But there is now, and if we compare it to other special edition double cabs of the past, not to mention the cruisers from VW and Mercedes-Benz is seems fair. All we know is that the public has been salivating over this particular Ford for ages and now, at last, they can satisfy their needs.

It comes with the new South African-built four-cylinder twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel engine - good for 157kw and 500Nm and is mated to the (also new) 10-speed automatic transmission developed by the Ford Motor Company with some help from General Motors. This translates to a 0-100kph of just over 10 seconds which isn't exactly rapid, but the Raptor's performance pedigree really begins to make sense in the dirt.

The Raptor comes standard with Ford Protect - that's a a four-year/120 000km comprehensive warranty, three-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance and five-year/unlimited km corrosion warranty. A six-year/90 000km service plan is also included, with 15 000km service intervals.

Behold the slippery McLaren GT

And you thought McLaren was all about that supercar life.

Meet the GT, but as in a proper GT, a Grand Tourer in every sense. That means comfort above performance – mind you the latter can be measured to the tune of 455kW so you’re not exactly a shrinking violet in this thing.

Conceived to compete with the likes of the Aston Martin DB11 and Ferrari GTC4 Lusso, it still features a very exotic car-like mid-mounted 2-seater configuration. Which makes sense for a sensual dart with a zero to hundred sprint of just 3.2 seconds.

"The new McLaren GT clearly stands out both as a new type of McLaren and a cutting-edge interpretation of a Grand Tourer for a new era." – Rob Melville, Design Director, McLaren Automotive.

Yes Rob, I believe we covered that.

The New Toyota Quantum is upon us!

And we have a semi-bonnet. What that means is that the Quantum for the first time loses its bluff front-end and adopts a more car like visage. It also gets a raft of safety tech, comfort and performance upgrades and is generally a more 2019 take on the beloved (in the right hands) people mover. It comes with the same 2.8 litre turbodiesel currently doing duty in the Hilux and Fortuner, rated at 130kW and 420Nm.

Quantum and HiAce model line-up and pricing:

All come with a 9-service/90 000 km service plan with service intervals set at 12-months/10 000km. Toyota’s standard 3-year/100 000 km warranty is also provided.