2019 Mercedes-AMG GLS63 – Road Test Review – By Matt Barnes

With a $125,000 base price, the Mercedes GLS 63 AMG is out of range for many people. For those who have the wherewithal and need to haul six people, it is an excellent — and perhaps only — choice. Featuring a hand assembled AMG 5.5 liter twin turbo (Mercedes calls it a biturbo) V8 with 577 horsepower and 561 torque, the GLS AMG has only one three-row performance competitor: the 475 horsepower Dodge Durango SRT 392.  [Audi is not bringing the diesel SQ7 to the USA.] When it comes to luxury, the Mercedes is at the top in this class. …

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2017 Audi Q7 Visualizer – Colors, Cabins, Pricing and Options Guide

The new Q7 is already burning up the sales charts in the Audi USA lineup! Beset as the brand is with many woes at the moment, the SUV lineup is still a shining beacon of hope.   And cash. Lots of cash! The Q7 in its all-new 2017 generation appears completely immune to the dieselgate saga.  After all, the TDI variants were only ever a 9-percent slice of the model’s sales. The new Q7 really leapfrogs its Touareg and Cayenne cousins for this generation.  Where those two are the lightest of light facelifts for 2015’s refresh, the new Q7 is …

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2016 Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro Trusts Locomotives and Submarines for New Diesel-Electric SUV Powertrain

As any fan of locomotives or submarines will tell you, the combination of diesel engines and hybrid battery tech is a match made in heaven. Endless research has determined that diesel-electric is the most efficient and powerful combination for heavy machinery. Typically, in the car business, diesel-electric power has been shunned because the combination is too expensive. Diesels are around a $4000 price premium above a gas engine, while hybrid components can add at least $5000 to a car’s wholesale price to make. But in a class like the large SUV segment, innovation is affordable if it can achieve huge …

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2016 Audi Q7 Shows New MMI Touch, Audi Connect and MIB Tablet Interfaces by Nvidia

The new Audi Q7 will debut not just a much lighter chassis and all-new styling outside, but a cabin that is fresh from the carpet upward and absolutely packed with tech goodies. Where to start? The latest Virtual Cockpit design uses a 12.3-inch TFT panel in the main guage cluster, able to show 3D instruments, full Google-Earth navigation and maps, and a dozen other custom displays as needed. These are operated by voice, redundant knobs and buttons on the wheel and dash, or by the new MMI Touch control panel with multi-touch capabilities (ahead of the shifter). On the road, …

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Future SUV Renderings – 2017 Audi Q6 and Audi Q8

  With gasoline prices in the US now below $2.00 again in a few spots, you can bet that any large SUV idea is seeming brilliant in Germany. The Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class and BMW X7 are two key segments where Audi is not competing with its fierce rivals. The GLE-Class Coupe and the BMW X6 is another huge market opportunity where Audi’s lack of large SUVs makes it a non-competitor. Not matching Mercedes and BMW for every model in the cheaper price ranges might make sense for Audi. But these giant SUVs have the fattest profit margins in the car business, …

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Future SUV Renderings – 2016 Audi SQ7

Here is an exclusive look at how the new Audi Q7 might look as an S or even an RS Q7. Despite the current Q7 S-line being the sportiest trim offered, the strong rumor is that this generation of Q7 will have performance upgrades in the trim structure. This will make sense to battle the Mercedes GLS63 AMG, formerly called the GL-Class — as well as the BMW X7 M Sport. We’ve prepared two angles to review, plus a few grille trims to see how the new Q7’s style takes to the latest gloss-black themes. Overall, the appearance of a …

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2016 Audi Q7: Dramatic Quattro-Style Redesign is 700-Pounds Lighter!

Here is a welcome new crossover! The long-anticipated 2016 Audi Q7 is here and official. The revamp is far more thorough than the Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg, with Audi using a new mixed-material body and numerous other lightweighting tech to drop its weight ratings dramatically. At 4,400-pounds, the 2016 Q7 is still no ballerina, but is now the lightest in its class, per Audi. It is certainly much more svelte than the 5,000-pounds-plus of the latest Escalade and others. These benefits have a multiplicative impact on performance, handling feel and efficiency for all engines and driving scenarios. We are …

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Sneak Peak! 2016 GLE550 Coupe and C400 Coupe in Mercedes-Benz Detroit Teasers

Updated 11.27.14 Mercedes-AMG has revealed a teaser for the Detroit auto show in January: some sweet new AMG Sport and AMG Performance trims for the C-Class Coupe and GLE Coupe. The AMG Sport is a returning trim level for the C-Class, while AMG Performance is a new feature that has C63-style lower detailing that is dark-colored and very convincing. The new GLE will wear a full revised from bumper design — but this sneak peak indicates a full redesign may be a year or more into the future. Actually, after taking a look at the roofline of this preview more …

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2015 Audi Q3 Is Arriving Now From $33k-$42k Packing Standard 200HP Turbo for U.S.

The Audi Q3 looks so much better in the flesh than it did in Audi’s teaser sketches from last month – what a relief! While the car does show a bit less aggression in its proportions versus the long-hood Q7, there is enough family similarity for the Q3 to rub shoulders with BMW and Mercedes-Benz SUVs costing much, much more. The Q3 is part of a broad new 2015 Audi A3 family of models coming to the U.S. in the next six to eight months: — A3 four-door sedan — S3 four-door sedan — A3 Cabriolet — 2015 A3 e-tron …

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Future Truck Rendering – 2016 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Expected To Adopt Beijing Concept Coupe SUV Nose and Tail

 2016 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Rendering While on a mad Photoshop bender today, here is another interpretation of a future Mercedes-Benz SUV – the upcoming M-Class refresh. The current ML63 AMG and the ML350 4Matic have fallen flat in the marketplace versus the evergreen sales of the BMW X5 and even the Audi Q7. With the arrival of the Porsche Macan and BMW X4 and X6 in the same year as the new X5 — the heat is really on the ML to pull its own weight. The ideas for a totally new Mercedes SUV nose and tail were quite prominent …

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2014 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite – Road Test Review – Luxury King for Van Man Dads on Road Trips

The Honda Odyssey Touring Elite is quite a machine – it brings much of the smooth ride and cabin silence of a luxury car into the jumbo van segment, where it has led the sales charts for the last decade or more. Many think it is the Chrysler and Dodge vans that are the best-sellers, but that is only true when their total numbers are combined. Individual nameplate-wise, the Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna are neck-and-neck to lead the race, trading spots infrequently but keeping the Honda name as a leader in vans. This supremacy of the Odyssey is well-known …

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5.2s to 60mph, 148MPG Plug-in Hybrid AWD! Audi TT Offroad Concept – A Sure Thing As Future Q2 (or Q4?)

The big three German luxury brands are infamous in charting each-others new models rigorously. When the Mercedes-Benz R-Class emerged to shocked faces across the globe, BMW was not far behind with the 5 series GT in a slight tweak on the theme. Once one of the big players has established a market, it is widely seen as almost a sure-fire new segment that all must either join or be left out of completely. The rationale is often more than a little flawed – as the R-Class seven-seater and five-seater minivan/wagon trend failed to spark much interest. But one clear segment …

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Audi SUV and Crossover Showcase — 600-Photo Galleries of Q3, Q5 hybrid, SQ5, and Q7 TDI S-Line Plus

Between 1994 and 2004, Audi’s biggest barrier to more US sales was a pretty limited number of model choices. In 2014, that is definitely no longer an issue: Audi’s American model range is huge. Disregarding the many, many engines available in each model, as well as S and RS cars — Audi is now packing at least 30 body styles. Add five more with the A3 and Q3 family for 2015, and keep adding five extra mystery machines for at least the next four years. Overall, plenty to choose from — with pricing that starts at $30,000 for the crossovers …

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Audi Q3 Looking Classy + Packing Standard 200HP Turbo for U.S. Sales From August 2014

The Audi Q3 looks so much better in the flesh than it did in Audi’s teaser sketches from last month – what a relief! While the car does show a bit less aggression in its proportions versus the long-hood Q7, there is enough family similarity for the Q3 to rub shoulders with BMW and Mercedes-Benz SUVs costing much, much more. The Q3 is part of a broad new 2015 Audi A3 family of models coming to the U.S. in the next six to eight months: — A3 four-door sedan — S3 four-door sedan — A3 Cabriolet — 2015 A3 e-tron …

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2014 Audi Q7 TDI S-line Plus – Buyers Guide with Galleries, Specs and Pricing

The 2014 Q7 TDI is a very compelling option versus the other supercharged V6 gasoline engine options available on this luxury seven-seater in American Audi dealers. There basically are no downsides – only benefits – to choosing this Clean Diesel engine. – Huge torque advantage, 406 pound-feet from from just 1750 rpm. – Big efficiency advantages on paper and in real life. – Just as quick as 3.0T models at 7.7-seconds to 60-mph. —- (But down 1.0 seconds versus the 3.0TFSI S-Line with 333 horsepower versus 280 for 3.0T) – Optional air suspension a TDI and TFSI exclusive option, not …

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