Post by Kasey Kagawa

You might know of our obsession with the BMW 1-series coupe that’s coming to the US in varying flavors of Awesome™. There’s the 130i, which contains Regular Awesome™, for those experiencing a properly set-up small coupe for the first time, and then there’s the full fat 135i, which is chock full of Extra-Strength Awesome™. This special ingredient is produced naturally by the combination of BMW making a small sports coupe again and then fitting it with the twin-turbocharged version of the 3.0L BMW straight-six, one of the greatest engines of all time.

Autocar has let the Euro prices for the new 1-series coupe out, and we thought that we should join in the rampant speculation about how that price translates State-side. BMW wants £29,745 for the base 135i. After spending some time running through the current BMW products both here and abroad, I have come to the conclusion that the prices here and in the UK aren’t related in any way, and it’s really up to the Fates. The average difference between UK and US prices in other brands tends to be about 5000 units of currency, so I’m hoping that prices don’t go much higher than $35k or so, which makes it about $5-7k less than the 335i. If it’s as good as it could be, then the relative closeness in price won’t make much of a difference. If it’s not all that great, a small but still present possibility, then you’d probably be better off getting a 335i. Here’s hoping.

1-series coupe prices revealed [Autocar]

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Behold the new king of the four-doors, the Audi RS6 Avant. We don’t know much about the new RS6 yet, but we do know that the powerplant is a Twin-Turbo V10 TFSI unit producing 580hp. We’ll update you as we learn more, but enjoy the gallery for now!

– Updated with full press release

Outstanding top performance and maximum dynamism combined with excellent suitability for everyday use are the impressive features of the new Audi RS 6 Avant, which will be unveiled to the public for the first time at the IAA 2007 in Frankfurt. A newly developed V10 engine with FSI direct injection and twin turbochargers, permanent quattro four-wheel drive and sports suspension with Dynamic Ride Control DRC set the standard for high-performance vehicles in the luxury class. 426 kW (580 bhp) and a maximum torque of 650 Nm add up to an unforgettable performance experience. At the same time, the new Audi RS 6 Avant offers a high standard of travel comfort – on long journeys, too.

Release continues after the jump

Continue reading Audi RS6 Avant Photos Surface Ahead of 2008 Frankfurt International Auto Show!

Post by Kasey Kagawa

Driving enthusiasts are something of a rare breed these days. It’s rapidly becoming too expensive, too difficult, and considered too socially irresponsible to drive a car quickly or even own a fast car. The new automotive status symbol isn’t a Ferrari, it’s a Prius, and that doesn’t bode well for those of us who find happiness in flogging a four-wheeled machine up a mountain. This negative image is only true in the US, though. Those in Europe have quite a selection of tasty hot hatchbacks, including the Renaultsport Megane R26, Renaultsport Clio 197, Honda Civic Type-R, Opel/Vauxhall Astra OPC/VXR, Ford Focus ST, and the Fiat Panda 100HP, and a whole different set of stereotypes, such as the idea that the average driver of a hot hatch is a few bottles of Stella away from plowing through a crosswalk full of school children. We get to share in some of the hot hatch bounty over here, with the VW Golf GTI, Mazdaspeed 3, Mini Cooper S and Honda Civic Si (which has the same engine as the Euro Type-R), but the best examples of the breed don’t make it to our shores, and that’s too bad. To steal a marketing idea from the tobacco industry, if we hook the kids while they’re young, they’re grow up loving to drive, and maybe we can also teach them how not to drive like idiots at the same time.

The rest of the series below the jump.

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