2017 Renault Maxthon (Koleos Successor) Spied, Has Talisman Written All Over It

When it arrived in 2007, the Koleos was praised by both the media and the public. As a compact SUV, it ticked all the right boxes. With great regret, the Koleos didn’t age well and Renault decided to get rid of the thing. Although the Kadjar does a fine job as a replacement, Renault isn’t going to stop here.

Introducing the 2017 Renault Maxthon. In a curious way, this medium-sized SUV is considered to be the true spiritual successor of the Koleos. I’m the type of guy who can’t be bothered about an SUV’s ancestry, to be frank, partly because the Maxthon will be much better and much larger than its paternal forebear.

Spied by our photographers in the chilly north of Sweden, the Renault Maxthon prototype you can admire in the gallery below has been put through its paces back-to-back with the Kadjar 1.6 dCI 130 4x4.

Compared to its brother, the soon-to-be-unveiled Maxthon is wider, longer, rides higher, and it will be available with seven seats if you wish for that. How soon, you’re asking? According to a Dongfeng-Renault official, the 2017 Renault Maxthon will make its first public outing at Auto China 2016 at the end of April.

It may be possible that Renault will publish official pictures on the Internet before the live debut in China, but don’t expect the Euro version to arrive sooner than the 2016 Paris Motor Show in October. Underpinned by the CMF-CD platform, the Renault Maxthon will have a similar skeleton to the Nissan X-Trail (Rogue).

Engine and gearboxes should mirror those of the X-Trail, albeit the CVT will be dropped for an EDC dual-clutch automatic. Regarding the styling, well, I don't see anything more than a Talisman Estate on stilts. If you look at elements such as the shape of the headlights, the grille, the taillights, they all resemble those of the Talisman. The copy-paste treatment will be applied inside, where you’ll get a vertical R-Link 2 touchscreen infotainment system, a TFT screen instead of conventional dials, and a button for the Multi-Sense system.

Why Was This Mercedes-AMG C63 S Wrecked on Purpose During a Drift Demonstration?

Try to remember the reaction many people who don't understand how the Internet works have when one of those videos that portray an iPhone being destroyed for view-gathering purposes shows up. Well, it's difficult to watch the Mercedes-AMG C63 S torture footage below and not wonder why in the world such a stunt would take place.

We're dealing with a 510 hp Affalterbach sedan used for a drifting demonstration here - so far, things seem perfectly normal. Nevertheless, the show, which takes place in a parking lot, sees the driver crashing the C63 on purpose.

That's the conclusion you draw when the one behind the wheel continues to drift and literally crashes the wheels of the car, getting some serious air time in the process, all this after the initial accident that saw the machine sliding into the curb.

The "Made in Bremen" faux license plates and the dozens of Mercedes vehicles in the background lead us to believe this odd stunt is linked to the German automaker, who has a factory in the German city.

And, if our approximate German translation for the video description did its job, the driver could be Jean Pierre Kraemer, a car aficionado who runs the JP Performance tuning label, hosts TV shows and has motorsport experience - we've reached out to the man on Instagram to request further details about this destructive shenanigan.

As for the C63 S, the rear-wheel-drive delight may be totaled, depending on whether the drifts that used the curb as a ramp damaged the frame or not.

Even if that's not the case and the Affalterbach vehicle can return to the road, the repairs probably cost as much as an A-Class, but when promotional purposes are behind such shows, the bill is no longer relevant. So let's make efforts to understand the ways of the world wide web, shall we?

New Mirage Superyacht Turns Invisible From a Distance

When extremely rich, people seem to come to the conclusion that they would pay anything for at least a tiny bit of anonymity. Mirage, a new superyacht that promises to become invisible at a distance, might be the solution for that.

The new concept yacht is a collaboration between Van Geest Designs and Italian boatbuilders Fincantieri, and took one year just to design. It will take another three and a half years to be build, but when it’s complete, it will probably sell for around £200 million, The Mirror estimates.

If the price tag ends up being accurate, the Mirage will become one of the top 10 most expensive yachts in the world. And it will offer something others don't: complete privacy from prying eyes.

The Mirage is covered is mirrored glass, which has a double effect: from a distance larger than 50 meters, it makes the boat almost invisible; to those who travel on it, it creates the impression they’re floating on air, thanks to the many reflective surfaces.

The yacht will come equipped with a helipad, an outdoor theater and cinema, a pool and a spa, so whoever will board it will do for more than just the promise of apparent invisibility. It weighs 4,200 tons and will be able to accommodate 14 guests and a 29-strong crew, while traveling at 19 knots.

As designer Pieter Van Geest explains, the biggest challenge in designing it was coming up with the materials that would allow it to blend into the environment.

“The longest part was researching the reflective glass and how it would be built,” he explains, as cited by the publication. “The main reason in designing this yacht was to make something that belonged to its environment. Most yachts nowadays stand out and break the horizon or the landscape, in a way, we have tried to minimize this effect.”
“All the vertical panels on the yacht will have this finish. If you were on the water it would probably be invisible from over 50 meters away,” Van Geest continues. “If you are on the yacht itself the mirror will project the yacht's surroundings, so in a way, it will give you a floating on air effect when onboard.”
The mirrored glass is made by a German manufacturer and has never been used on yachts before. Van Geest refused to offer an estimate for the price tag the Mirage would eventually go on the market with. 

2021 Renault Talisman Spied With New Features on Wagon Body

Renault is yet another automaker that can't afford to play the mid-sized sedan game for much longer. However, a lot of money was invested in the development of the Talisman, so it's at least got to have mid-life updates.

Will the Talisman go the way of the Toyota Avensis and Honda Accord? Most likely. But the French can at least go all-in with one last series of compelling updates. And here's the latest test prototype doing its Thursday morning job.

Despite the camouflage, you can still make out many of the significant changes here. For example, at the front, we're witnessing fresh LED projectors, a wider upper grille and more sporty fog light surrounds. Meanwhile, the rear of the car sports new taillights and the usual over-trimmed bumper.

More updates could be seen on the finished product, coming out next year, such as paint finishes and wheels. But we're more concerned about what's going on on the inside. The Clio and Captur have shown Renault is finally listening to its buyers. Not only are the panels less likely to rattle, but more interesting finishes have also been considered.

The major highlight is tablet-style infotainment that promises crisper graphics, but will definitely take some getting used to. So will taking tech from the Clio, which is the second most popular car in Europe, work for the Talisman? No. The model is probably going to end 2019 with an abysmal 15,000 sales or so, so it's probably not worth keeping around.

Ford's solution with the Mondeo seems to be turning it into a soft crossover, a bit like the Subaru Outback, but less rugged. This Renault facelift will last the Talisman until 2024, after which the carmaker might decide to follow Ford's lead, or ax the car completely.

New engines have been gradually introduced over the past year. These include the return of the 2-liter diesel, now boasting a promising 200 horsepower, a 1.7 dCi and 225 horsepower 1.8 TCe turbo. All that's needed is a hybrid, which we think will be made using tech borrowed from Nissan, most likely meaning a 2.5-liter like in the X-Trail. 

911 R, Aventador SV, GTC4Lusso, Zonda Go Drifting In Italian Alps Instagram Trip

Some of you will look at the image above and wonder if this is pure Photoshop fantasy. Well, to answer that question, we could, for instance, focus on the patterns in the snow surrounding the exquisite beasts in the pic.

As you can see, the circular patterns aren't exactly what you'd call a product of nature - yes, ladies and gentlemen drivers, we're talking about a Ferrari GTC4Lusso, a Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster (top-down bonus), as well as a Porsche 911 R that went drifting. And that's not all.

This photo, which comes from GF Williams, gives us an idea of the event that took place in a recent Instagram trip that took place in the Italian Alps.

At leat two famous Instagramers, namely powerslidelover and gregb.23 took their toys out to play in Cortina d'Ampezzo. As we mentioned above, there were also other toys involved.

And if a G63 6x6 is the kind of contraption you'd expect to find in such a trip, a Pagani Zonda Nero is quite the opposite. In fact, as you'll be able to see in one the pieces of footage below, the Zonda's tires mean the naturally aspirated wonder is forced to go sliding at amusingly low speeds.

If you're familiar with the kind of adventures the said social media labels like to engage in, you won't be surprised by the fact that most of their slip angle stunts took place on the street - when was the last time you saw a 911 R going fully sideways on a mountain road?

That's right - the GTC4Lusso and the Affalterbach six-wheeler are dressed in the same color, but while the Maranello machine comes with a glossy finish, the Green Panzer, as the outlandish bed bearer has been nicknamed, features a matte wrap.

If you're reading this and thinking about getting your supercar out of the garage despite the white landscape, wonder no more - grab the keys and go for a slippery ride.

The Next Lexus Is a 65-Foot Yacht, and Here Are the Full Specs

It’s called the LY 650, and it is Lexus’ first-ever luxury yacht. Presented this week at an event in Boca Raton, the boat is heavily inspired by the Lexus Sport Yacht Concept that saw daylight at the beginning of 2017.

The new Lexus product was shown once before this year, but this is the first time photos of the actual yacht on the water have surfaced.

Built together with specialist American company Marquis Yachts, the 65-foot long / 18-foot wide boat is planned to become a common sight on the world’s seas in the not so distant future.

Powering the yacht are two Volvo Penta IPS engines that will be offered in three power configurations, namely 1,050, 1,200 or hp, and that’s for each of the two. The LY 650 can house six people in 3 rooms.

As with any machine of its type, the LY 650 is all about luxury. The exterior can be covered by a two-tone color scheme with metallic accents on the bow, side windows, and the vessel’s L-shaped air intakes.

For the interior, the carmaker chose to use white to create the impression of more space. Inside there are dual captain’s seats and sofas, a galley and a salon fitted with a Mark Levinson surround sound system.

Beneath the salon there are the three rooms that provide 6 feet and 6 inches of space, and each room is fitted with its own shower.

The Japanese are inclined to place the LY 650 in the same category as the LS sedan, LX SUV and LC coupe, meaning it is a flagship for what may or may not become a line of future similar products.

Production of the Lexus yacht will commence soon, but prices for it have not yet been announced. The boat will be on display for all potential customers to see from the end of October at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. 

Tanner Foust Goes Drifting in His 1,000 HP VW Passat during a Freaking Hillclimb

An important part of the Volkswagen tuning culture has to do with building on the understated nature of the Vee-Dub styling by hiding serious firepower underneath. One of the best examples of that comes from Formula Drift star Tanner Foust, who enjoys playing with a Passat that had been dialed all the way to 1,000 ponies.

In April, the monstrous Passat, which, surprisingly, still looks like the NMS model offered to U.S. civilians, will celebrate its second birthday. To celebrate, we are now bringing you a piece of footage that shows the athlete mixing two disciplines, namely drifting and hillclimbing.

The nicely rounded output mentioned above comes from a not-so-German engine, since the nose of the sedan accommodates a 7.4-liter V8 based on an LS7. The animal, which obviously packs a rear-wheel-drive architecture, likes to get high on nitrous and, more importantly, has been built with official support.

The unit works with a four-speed dog box, while a Tilton clutch is also on the list. As for the hair-raising soundtrack of the vee-eight, the exhaust features an eight-into-one sequential layout.

Trying to drift a factory Passat won't take you anywhere, as we found out on multiple occasions, which makes the action in the clip below even more worthy of your attention.

No matter how aggressive the body kit of this Passat is, there's nothing that can prepare you for the slip angle might of the thing. So yes, we can call this contraption a sleeper.

P.S.: If you're the kind who prefers dipping into the entertainment potential of longer clips, we'll remind you that the footage we have here is part of a larger video. Released back in December last year, the Quantum Drift piece at the bottom of the page shows Tanner burning rubber in six different machines in plenty of locations. 

New 2020 VW Passat is Not Based on MQB, Will Debut in Detroit

While many manufacturers are dropping all regular car models, VW decided to launch a new generation of its mid-size sedan. The only problem is that the all-new 2020 Passat is not so new under the skin because it's derived from the old one.

This is disappointing, as the old Passat dates back to 2011, and even then, its architecture was falling behind the European model. But VW did promise a U.S.-specific model, and they are going to deliver.

CNET was invited to VW's Proving ground in Arizona where it sampled the 2020 Passat. It's just a test prototype, still covered in camouflage, but a bunch of things has already been confirmed.

For starters, the 2020 is about a month away from being revealed at the Detroit Auto Show. It's going to go on sale next summer and will only offer one engine, the 2.0-liter turbo.

The output of this TSI unit is the same as the outgoing model, 174-hp, but torque has been increased to 207 lb-ft (280 Nm), up 23 pound-feet. An automatic sends power to the front wheels. There's no AWD option and, crucially no V6 either. The 3.6-liter united was dropped this year, and there's no replacement planned.

By the sound of things, VW is applying the same formula as with the 2019 Jetta, something which you can probably tell just by looking at the design. The suspension of the Passat is being slackened off for better comfort and less of that autobahn handling.

The new sedan will also come standard with a new 8-inch screen featuring Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and satellite radio. Also, all four trim levels will boast LED headlights, blind-spot monitoring and forward collision warning with pedestrian detection. Unfortunately, because of the outdated platform, the adaptive cruise system still won't work below 15mph, unlike most of its rivals.

While many publications sampled the same prototype, there's one incongruence. Because VW didn't give them any numbers, some say the car is bigger while others claim it's the same size. But from what we understand, the 2020 Passat had to grow a little due to crash test standards. And while legroom has gone up, rear headroom suffered because of the raked roof. 

A Lamborghini Speedboat to Go With Your Lamborghini Roadster

Aperfect match for your Lamborghini Centenario Roadster is in the making and she will be taking you on just as exciting adventures on water. “She” is a speedboat from Officina Armare Design, dubbed simply A43.

A43 is only in concept stage right now, but promises to be just as thrilling, luxurious and reliable as the car that inspired her creation. Made entirely of carbon fiber in black and canary yellow, just like the car it draws on for inspiration (but the maker is considering including other color options in the future), it is powerful and versatile, sleek and fast. She is the beauty and brawn combined in ideal measure, just like the Centenario.

The cruiser comes with a very sleek hull and large side air intakes, which makes her able to reach maximum speeds of 80 knots, and cruise leisurely at 50 knots. She is a tribute to Lamborghini cars so, in the making, the Milan-based studio included as much Lambo innovations as possible. Narrow LED headlights, inverted bow and sharp angles make the A43 into the bigger but still just as stunning sibling of the Centenario.

The interior is minimalist but entirely functional, furnished in elegant, luxurious textures like wood, leather and carbon. The cruiser includes a sofa for 4 that can double as a sunbathing area, a dining table, fridge, sink and cooking stove, and also the ever-necessary dedicated Champagne compartment. You can’t possibly ride in a Lambo and not have champagne, cooled at the exact, perfect temperature. The A43 also has a bathroom with a shower, so it can easily adapt to overnight accommodation, should need be.

Naturally-aspirated Lamborghini V12 engines propel the A43 to Lamborghini-worthy speeds. Caterpillar Three60 pod drives ensure smooth, stable sailing even at high speeds, while a lateral bow thruster fitted near the bow serves to improve maneuverability when docking or traveling at lower speeds.

The day cruiser comes with storage space for a couple of Seabobs and a rack for bikes or surf boards. She is the perfect “little” boat to take out on day adventures, in between driving around in your Lamborghini and sailing in your Lamborghini yacht.

Volkswagen Messes Up Once Again, Sells Thousands Of Pre-Production Vehicles

As brilliant as the Volkswagen Group is for its synergies and all-encompassing versatiliy, the Dieselgate scandal set the tone for the past handful of years at the Wolfsburg-based automaker. After that costly PR disaster, the Germans are in hot waters again for selling in the ballpark of 6,700 unapproved vehicles to retail customers in Europe and the United States.

The wrongdoing's interval ranges between 2006 and 2018, and just to bring the point home, pre-production vehicles are supposed to be crushed at the end of the development period. Handelsblatt reports these cars and crossovers were manufactured “before the launch of series production,” but Volkswagen chose to sell them “as new or second-hand vehicles.”

Without homologation from the motor transport authorities, the Volkswagen Group has once again ignored the letter of the law, taking the hard-earned cash from customers who have been deliberately tricked by the German automaker and the dealership network.

Volkswagen has “no knowledge of any accidents” according to Handelsblatt, which is an insult to those customers considering the audit team pointed out the issue to the higher-ups more than two years ago. Volkswagen relayed the information to the Federal Motor Transport Authority of Germany in September 2018, which goes to show that someone has been keeping quiet despite knowing the consequences that would succeed.

Der Spiegel has additional information on the matter, claiming that the audit came up with a population of up to 17,000 vehicles. Up to this point, Volkswagen confirmed the 6,700 mentioned beforehand for recall.

So how will the Wolfsburg-based automaker take responsibility for this mess-up? Over in Germany, the authorities are preparing fines in the thousands of euros per each vehicle. Other European countries and the United States will more or less mirror this procedure, but only time will tell how much Volkswagen will have to pony up for this hubris.

Even though the German media didn’t mention which models are affected, it is understood that other brands within the group aren’t affected. Last, but certainly not least, Volkswagen hasn’t publicized the recall on its official channels or media websites.