Audi A6 Quattro
That being the case, you would have thought that Audi’s PR machine would be ramping up its act to keep the Irish motoring hacks on-side, but apparently not.
The Audi machine appears to be independent of the well-oiled Volkswagen operation, which is militarily efficient by comparison.
Audi Ireland has announced a new string to its well-strung bow by unveiling price and order information for the third member of its new A6 family; the new C7 A6 allroad Quattro.
The first two generations of the allroad Quattro, launched respectively in 2000 and 2006, enjoyed considerable success, and Audi understandably hopes to build on this in its latest offering by combining the car’s versatility with greater efficiency and that is reflected in fuel-economy improvements of up to 20%.
Two hundred allroads found Irish homes between 2000 and 2011 and Audi says it is confident that the high loyalty among these customers will ensure that the third-generation version is as successful as the first two.
At 4.94 metres long, 1.90 metres wide and 1.47 metres tall, the latest A6 allroad Quattro sits six centimetres higher than the Avant.
Like the saloon and ‘standard’ Avant, the Quattro has been constructed using the latest Audi, ultra-lightweight construction principles, with aluminium components making up 20% of its body. Total vehicle weight has been reduced by 70kg compared with the previous model.
The new A6 allroad Quattro will initially be available in Ireland with a choice of four powerful and highly cultivated V6 engines — one TFSI petrol engine and three TDI units. All are 3.0-litre engines with turbo-charging and direct injection.
Audi says they make use of technologies from the company’s modular efficiency platform — the start-stop system and innovative thermal management.
The three variants of the 3.0 TDI produce 204 bhp, 245 bhp and 313 bhp; torque values are 450 Nm, 580 Nm and 650 Nm respectively. The entry-level version achieves a combined economy figure of 46.3mpg, corresponding to 159 g CO2/km.
The top-of-the-range, 3.0 TDI, 313 bhp BiTurbo powers the allroad from 0-100kph in just 5.6 seconds.
All three engines are paired with the seven-speed, S tronic dual-clutch transmission.
The standard Quattro, permanent four-wheel drive system is paired with torque vectoring. During dynamic driving, this system brakes the wheels on the inside of the curve, which are under a reduced load, before they can slip.
This further enhances traction and handling.
The optional sport differential distributes the power in continuously variable proportions between the rear wheels.
All cars are fitted with SE equipment as standard and come comprehensively equipped with items such as Milano leather upholstery, 18” alloy wheels, adaptive air suspension, cruise control, front and rear-park assist, Bluetooth interface, Audi music interface, headlight washers, MMI radio plus, and light and rain sensors, among others.
The adaptive air suspension, which combines air suspension with controlled damping, comes as standard. It lowers the body by 15mm at high speed and raises it by 35mm at the push of a button.
This allroad mode is suitable for rough terrain.
Furthermore, the driver can select a lift mode at low speeds. An additional 10mm enables the new Audi A6 allroad Quattro to also handle major irregularities in road surfaces. A hill-descent assist function for steep downhill treks is also included.
This limits the speed to between 10km/h and 19 km/h, depending on the surface.
Distinguishing allroad Quattro features include extended side sills, more widely flared wings and vertical slats within the single-frame grille.
Andrew Doyle, managing director of Audi Ireland, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of our all-new A6 allroad Quattro as part of our exciting new range for 2012. This is one of several launches planned for this year as we continue to grow market share in Ireland and reaffirm our position as Ireland’s number one premium car marque.
“The new A6 all road Quattro combines Audi’s world-class engineering with stylish design, while offering up to 20% greater fuel efficiency than its predecessor.
“We are confident that this latest model will match the success of previous generations,” he said.
The all-new A6 allroad Quattro is available to order from your local Audi dealer now and the first customer deliveries can be expected in Jun 2012.
Maybe I’ll even get to drive one.
Peugeot held their annual Aftersales Conference recently at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Dublin, attended by 70 parts managers, service managers and technical advisors from across the Peugeot dealer network in Ireland. Peugeot presented the Peugeot Service Manager of the Year 2012 award to Keith Troy, aftersales manager at Grandon Car Sales, Glanmire.
Keith launched his career at Keary’s Toyota dealership in the sales department before moving to aftersales after five years. He has brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to Grandon Car Sales, Glanmire, where he has worked as service manager for over two years.
Keith said, “I am delighted with the Peugeot Service Manager of the Year award. At Grandon Car Sales we strive constantly to ensure our customers receive a second-to-none experience. It is extremely gratifying to win such an accolade.”
Peugeot Aftersales in Ireland assess their dealers by examining progress throughout a 12-month period and ensuring the highest Peugeot standards are implemented. A high Aftersales Customer Satisfaction Index must be achieved with customer cars maintained to the highest standard, an effective customer relationship management programme must be in place and the dealership must participate at regular technical training courses.
Nissan has launched a spring bonus off the all-electric, no oil, no emissions, no exhaust, Nissan Leaf, which will take 5,000 off the list price. It means you can now drive away in a brand new 100% Electric Nissan Leaf for 25,595.
Nissan maintains the offer, which is for a limited period, adds a further dimension to the value for money the Nissan Leaf represents. Average running costs for the car are coming in at 1 cent per kilometre, which is truly remarkable when compared with 10 cent per kilometre for an average diesel car and 8 cent per kilometre for an average petrol car. At these rates anyone covering 20,000 kilometres in a year can expect to save up to 1,800 in the annual running costs for their car, Nissan says.
And as the LEAF has no C02 emissions annual road tax is at the lowest level of 160, and with very few serviceable items on the car owners can expect to save up to 50% on annual servicing and maintenance costs.
And, continuing on the electric front, the Renault Fluence ZE (which stands for ‘zero emissions’) has hit the road running and is now available to test drive and purchase at Renault dealerships around Ireland.
The 100% electric saloon is the second Renault electric vehicle to launch here and it comes just two years after the Fluence model launched in Ireland, becoming one of the most popular cars in its segment.
The attractive Fluence ZE Expression will retail from 21,610 and the
Fluence ZE Dynamique version will start at 22,710, approximately the same as the Fluence Diesel (with Government incentive of 5,000). The battery rental starts from 82 (Including VAT) a month for 36 months based on 10,000 km a year.
One of the main selling points of the electric vehicle is the savings that can be made on fuel costs, and with petrol and diesel prices rising daily at the pumps, electric vehicles are the solution.
Renault has compared the running costs of a Fluence ZE with the diesel version and over three years at 15,000km per year, the savings on Fluence ZE compared to the Diesel model would be in the region of 2,500.
Renault is the only manufacturer to introduce a range of 100% electric vehicles, and later this year the Twizy, the fun urban quadricycle, and the stylish compact hatch ZOE arrive on Irish soil.
Commenting on the Fluence ZE, Eric Basset, managing director, Renault Ireland, said: “Fluence took Ireland by storm when it arrived in April 2010 and proved very popular with the saloon-loving Irish customer. Two years later Fluence ZE has arrived, the ideal saloon for the low mileage driver who wants to save money and be environmentally responsible.”
Ford has just announced a package of special offers it hopes will keep dealer showrooms busy over the coming months.
The package comprises a special 4.9% low finance offer for models across the range; fuel vouchers of up to 1,300 on Mondeos; and a ‘no worries’ for three years package — extended warranty, roadside assistance and free servicing for three years on selected models, including Ireland’s top selling car: the Ford Focus.
“This package is designed to show customers that there is still some very good value in the market”, said Eddie Murphy, chairman and managing director of Ford Ireland. “With fuel prices becoming an even more weighty burden for motorists, our offer of a voucher for 400km worth of fuel for anyone who test drives a Mondeo is sure to strike a chord”.
“Equally, we have been hearing back from customers that access to good value finance is an ongoing problem and to rectify this we have worked with our finance house, Ford Credit, to provide an attractive 4.9% low APR loan rate available for deals on all of our passenger models”.
The 4.9% APR offer is available to customers on all completed purchases between now and the end of June.
The test drive incentive on Mondeo which will run from Apr 14 to May 16, means that anyone who takes a model for a test drive will qualify for a Topaz fuel voucher that will provide 400km of free motoring (to the value of 28). And if a customer then goes on to purchase a Mondeo before the end of June, they can take the option of a Topaz fuel voucher to the value 1,300.
“Part of our motivation in organising the Mondeo test drive promotion is to highlight the best in class fuel performance of the car to a wider audience and we hope a high number of drivers will take up the offer”, concluded Murphy. The 3/3/3 offer, which also runs
until the end of June, will provide three years of care free driving to anyone who buys a Fiesta, Focus, C-MAX / Grand C-MAX or Kuga.
The 3/3/3 offer provides extended three-year warranty, roadside assistance and free servicing for three years.
