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EVERY WEEK, WE bring you all the latest news you need to know from the motoring world. The big reveals this past week came from one of the biggest events in the car enthusiast’s calendar.
The Beijing Motor Show ran for a week with many cars unveiled that may never make it to these shores. However, there have been some world debuts by European brands including Audi, Porsche, Renault and Volkswagen that will indeed come to Ireland in some form.
Audi whipped off the covers of its most powerful TT to ever enter series production. The Audi TT RS is the first recipient of an updated version of the old TT RS’ five-cylinder 2.5 TFSI powerplant, which now produces 400hp with 480Nm of torque available from 1,700 to 5,850rpm, and is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission, sending power to all four wheels.
Two variants of the TT RS were unveiled, the Coupé and Roadster. Both models have a top speed of 280km/h (174mph) with the Coupé doing the 0-100km/h dash in 3.7 seconds and the Roadster doing it in 3.9 seconds.
Irish pricing will be released later in the year.
Porsche chose the Chinese show to unveil its new 718 Cayman. This two-seat mid-engined sports coupé is powered by a new four-cylinder ‘boxer’ turbocharged engine, the same engine found in the 718 Boxster. This 2.0-litre engine produces 300hp and 380Nm of torque between 1,950 and 4,500rpm.
The 718 Cayman S is powered by 2.5-litre engine, which produces 350hp (up 25hp on the previous model) and 420Nm of torque from 1,900 to 4,500rpm.
In terms of speed, the 718 Cayman can reach 274km/h (170mph) and the Cayman S 285km/h (177mph). If equipped with Porsche’s twin-clutch PDK gearbox and optional Sport Chrono Package, the 718 Cayman can do 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds and the 718 Cayman S can do it in 4.3 seconds.
The 718 Cayman costs €64,932 and the 718 Cayman S costs €82,898 and both models are available to order from Porsche Centres.
Renault revealed the third addition to its SUV family, which sits above the Captur and Kadjar in the Irish range.
The Koleos is a large, imposing car with a wheelbase of 2,710mm, an overall length of 4,670mm, width of 1,840mm and ground clearance of 213mm. It has a whopping 624-litre boot capacity with Renault claiming “class-leading cabin space, including 289mm of rear knee room”.
Up front, the Renault Koleos adopts the family face with a broad chrome grille incorporating a prominent central Renault logo. Notable styling cues are lifted from the Megane, especially at the rear which is dominated by long taillights that stretch across the boot. With its large size and chrome embellishments, including strips running from the head lights along the full length of the wings, the Koleos is no wallflower.
Based on the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s CMF-C/D architecture, which is shared by several vehicles, including the Renault Kadjar and Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail, the Koleos also features All-Mode 4×4-i technology, which allows for two-wheel drive (front-drive) and four-wheel drive Auto modes.
Depending on individual markets, a two-wheel drive version will also be available as will a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines with power outputs ranging from 130 to 175hp mated to either a six-speed manual gearbox or X-Tronic automatic transmission.
The new Koleos will be available here in early 2017.
The star of Volkswagen’s stand at Beijing was this new SUV concept with plug-in hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive.
However, what we are undoubtedly looking at is the new Volkswagen Touareg, which is due to hit our shores in 2017.
The Touareg is Volkswagen’s biggest SUV and the new one is planned to share the same long wheelbase, MLB2 platform as the Audi Q7 and Bentley’s first ever SUV, the Bentayga.
However, at 5,069mm long and 2,000mm wide the T-Prime Concept GTE is longer and wider than the current Touareg, which has led some to believe that the next-gen Touareg will offer a third row of seats much like its Audi stablemate. Only time will tell…
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Great until someone misses the garage and drives off the cliff.
What do you mean did I remember to put the parking brake on?
Perfect gaff for the James bond baddie type…
If it has a remote control trapdoor for disloyal henchmen then I’ll take it it.
Or Tony Stark
I couldn’t think of anywhere better to relax while contemplating world domination.
I hope his architect has taken coastal erosion into consideration before he designed this
Reminds me of that Kerryman that bought that large plot of land when the tide was out.
It’s a barmy Bostik idea….
Fantastic, a house hanging off the side of a cliff. What could possibly go wrong?
pity the poor window cleaner
Some people like to live life on the edge,.
No.
Yes.
Ha, all it needs is a bottomless toilet.
The ultimate flush.
In case there is some confusion, this house doesn’t actually exist. This is all ‘photoshop’.
So is J Low’ ass, but you’d still look ;)
Will it drop off if the cliff erodes?
Where’s the fresh water supply, sewerage and electricity ?
Not in a million years!
It’ll be a sad day something like this would get planing
Why – they gave permission for that stupid spike/spire thing in the middle of Dublin? No use or significance to any living thing….
Free hold I bet
You don’t think that a cliff face would be a significant view or asset worth preserving??? You are the pits
And you are clearly an idiot, eland…
Being clad in glass I don’t think it would aesthetically ruin the look of the cliffs as the cliffs would be experienced mostly from the top surface. At night it might even look good to someone out at sea on a boat. The big downside I see is that boats might think it is a lighthouse structure and move towards what would be mistaken for a harbour..
Wow Pol that is some comment, 1st: cliffs are looked at from all angles, from the top from the sea from the side as is clearly depicted in the picture provided. 2nd: if for some reason you could only look down on this cliff you would be obstructed at this site, by the garage. 3rd: glass is not normally seen jutting out of coastal cliff faces and I doubt this glass cling-on will change that trend.
eland…be up for school tomorrow…
Just for giggles. Where in the rendering given are the people that are going to look at this building from all angles? The image portrays a place that is secluded as opposed to the busy beach you believe it is…
Secondly you know don’t you that glass is not inherently a primary structural element and in this case here is not the thing that is holding the whole thing up? It provides cross directional support as a kind of panel in a steel frame building would, but it is steel that would be the superstructure that connects to the rock face. Thus the glass never really touches the rock face so it doesn’t cling on. So I agree with you glass is normally not seen jutting out of rock in this manner.
PS There are thousands of better buildings that go unnoticed by the public each year but a really provocative one like this comes along and everyone has a half baked opinion. People are not going to be living like this in the future. It is a one off. There is no trend or movement in architecture that describes this building. It’s hilarious that you think otherwise.
A lot of these type houses in California too – overlooking the Pacific.
Great views but jaysus I’d never be off the toilet
There’s just something very cool about that , ok its impractical and I dont know what the story is with corrosion but its very cool . Appeals to my villain side
Glass and stainless steel / pvc. I doubt corrosion would be a concern. Erosion on the other hand….
Erm…good look to the window cleaner…
They forgot to mention a bathroom.
Wow I seriously want one
It looks like an ashtray bolted to a wall ……I bet the sharks are waiting below for a drunk Irishman to go take a whizz after a house party ….
I can see Mel Gibson tearing one of these down in lethal weapon 5
G’day everybody – check out the view.
This would turn the Cliffs of Moher into the new Hamptons or St.Tropez :D
Can someone tell me why if you look at a picture on journal.ie the resolution is pure shite
A wee design here and there and the home could double up as a Lighthouse-
Hmm do they not have coastal erosion then in Australia!
have your say