Aston Martin DB9 GT Full Review

The time came to say goodbye to a car that marked all the spirits, the Aston Martin DB9. When it appeared in 2003, it was breath-taking with its massive V12 under the bonnet, developing then 470 bhp, and rocketing the car from stop to 100 kph in just 4,6 seconds. On the road, it has one of the best driving experiences there is. But now, time come for Aston Martin to say its fair wells to the DB9, with a last edition : The DB9 GT.

First thing is first : What is it?
From the outside, it looks like any aggressive Aston : An aluminum body 2-doors coupe, with Vanquisher looks, a huge grill, aerodynamic profile, the rear lamps of the 2013 DB9. On the inside, it has pure Aston Martin’s DB GT cars spirit. Under the bonnet, lies the massive power unit of the car. A 5.9L V12, atmospheric, producing up to 540 bhp @6750 rpm and 620 Nm of torque @5500 rpm. It is a double Over-head camshaft, 48 valve aluminium block, front-mounted engine. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 6-speed automatic “Touchtronic 2” gearbox. 0 to 60 mph (100 kph) is slightly improved compared to the DB9, and it became 4.5 seconds. The pleasure of hearing this car roar is thanks to a catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves. Fuel consumption has been kept the same as the DB9 it is 19 mpg’s . Top speed for the DB9 was 190 mph (310 kph) but the GT top speed has been lowered to 183 mph (295 kph).

The interior is rich, it mixes class and sportiness. It is covered with a full-grain leather body. The Steering wheel is Alcantara made. The seats are electronically adjustable. When it comes to technology, the DB9 GT came ready for everything, it has sat nav, cruise control, automatic temperature control, Bluetooth telephone preparation, front and rear parking sensor, integrated Apple connectors, remote control central door locking, and the list goes on for the interesting features. Sportiness is present with the dark grey attitude, the simplicity of it, it doesn’t have a 3000 buttons to do all sort of stuff, Aston Martin engineers made sure to put what is necessary for the driver to be comfortable, to be able to choose its wanted driving mode (Normal, Sport or Track mode, that is to choose how mad you want the car to be) seat adjustment, interior temperature…

The BD9 GT sits on 20-inch 5 spoke wheels, that do come with Pirelli P Zero tyres. Suspension is electronically regulated in height according to the driving mode. The car comes with independent double wishbones incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive damper for both front and rear suspension. For the Brakes, the four wheels are equipped with ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 398 mm diameter with six-piston monobloc calipers. It is fitted with ABS, DSC, EBD and to make the car mess with its tail, a traction control (that is required to be OFF for fun mode). To ensure aerodynamic stability, the body is volante-like made, the car is fitted with a carbon-fiber rear diffuser. The body is made of aluminum, carbon-fiber and magnesium alloys for weight gain reasons, and the car weights just close to 1900 kgs, which is 100 kg lighter than the old DB9.

The DB9 GT is the last of the Martins DB9’s. It marks the end for such an amazing car. The price put on it is justified by the pleasure it offers to drive it, or just even to look at it, 200,000$.

New Ford GT

Stop everything that you are doing, hold every horse, and concentrate, because, THE car is here, it is the newest Ford GT, and yeah, the best comes in a new generation, with a lot of carbon-fiber, F1 technology and an engine mounted in the middle.

The Ford GT was first seen in the sixties, then 40 years or a bit more, in 2005, also in the Detroit Auto Show, it was named, the GT 40, because it is 40 inches-long, and it is to celebrate 40 years of the GT. Today, Ford pleases our eyes, and minds with the new one, it looks similar as the previous one, more futuristic, has all the new gadgetry, well, because now we live in the future, it is not the present anymore in the automotive world.

 

Let’s start with what is powering the beast, a 3.5L twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6, that produces, and hold on to your hats, 600 bhp. That is 50 bhp more than the GT 40, and with a smaller engine. All the power will be channeled to the rear wheels via a seven-speed transmission with paddle shifters. Top speed is estimated to be around 200 mph, and acceleration around 3.0 seconds from stop to 100 kph. The GT 40 is said to compete in the LeMans 24H. Ford did not tell much about the car, but more figures will come.

Ford promises though that the car will have one of the power to weight ratios ever, thanks to its carbon-fiber passenger cell, carbon-fiber chassis, carbon-fiber engine tank and aluminium in the rear and front. Styling looks more European, and that is what catches the eye first, it is not a proper GT. It has active aerodynamics, a deployable rear spoiler, a lot of air vents, to channel the air through all the car’s body. The engine is now under a glass top, that looks more like the Gallardo’s or the R8’s. When you look at it from behind, it is a 458, merged in the spirit of a LaFerrari, side looks, it is an Aventador, with an F12 air vent. but it is still a Ford GT. In the front it still has the same hood, with the same air vents, it still has that angry look, from the GT 40, with LED headlights now, it is still aggressive, and that is what counts. The car has 20-inch alloy wheels, and ceramic breaks.

Interior has adjustable seats, LaFerrari style, adjustable pedals, and wait for it, an F1 looking like steering wheel, with all the buttons, that will do things. It features a digital display, for all the technology geeks. Ford said that the recently introduced Sync3 system will be available in the GT. Doors will till open upwards.

The Ford GT will enter in production in 2016, now Ford is just teasing, it is clear that it will compete against new, yet to be revealed coming cars, the 458 turbo, the McLaren Sport, but competition will surely be fierce.

AMG GT S

When it comes to replacing their models, car companies do a crazy job to fix, add, replace.. because the next model has to be better in every way, but what if that car being replaced is the SLS AMG? Kind of the perfect car? How car one replace the perfect car? Mercedes-Benz and AMG had the answer, they outdid themselves, and created the AMG-GT model, a rocket that was made to compete with Porsche 911, Jaguar F type R, Audi R8, Corvette, Aston Martin Vantage. There is a new version, and it is more powerful, faster, and in some way better than the AMG GT. It is the AMG GT S, where S means here 50 more bhp.

So as expected, the car came to play in the big league, and it is not to be messed with. It is fitted with the same 4.0L V8 biturbo engine, with turbos mounted inside the V, it is to achieve greater thermal efficiency. The engine is able to produce 510 bhp, all of them going to the rear wheels, and 479 lb-ft of torque between 1,750 and 5,000 rpm. It is coupled with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The result is, 0 to 60 in a lighting 3.6 seconds. Mercedes-AMG will need to do a better work though, to beat the 3.0 seconds of the Porsche GT3, and 3.5 seconds of the Jaguar F-type. The car top speed is limited at 196 mph which lessens the fun. Mounting the turbos inside V creates a more compact engine, to gain space. Mercedes-AMG uses dry sump to guarantee a better lubrication for the engine. Having a smaller engine won’t mean that the car will make less noise than its AMG predecessors, the exhaust system creates the kind of noise that announces the car coming from miles.

The interior was made to be just perfect. It is similar to the SLS, spaceship craft was present, with all the buttons, knobs and switches, especially with the central console, so get ready to launch your missiles. These features allow you to control the power distribution, steering, driving modes, and lots of stuff. For example, the Sport Plus mode offers a more aggressive driving through firm steering, lightning gear-changes, and throttle mapping. The car has a large leg and head rooms. It has a large steering wheels, the seats have carbon fiber backs, some expensive materials were used, like aluminium, soft leather, carbon-fiber…. The car has large air intakes, and a good balance of colors.

As we said, The AMG GT is based on the SLS Mercedes, it has the same long nose, looks a bit like it, but in its own way. It is as wide, it has the same front suspension, while the rear suspension is custom-made just for it. It has iron adaptive suspension dampers, aluminum double-wishbone suspension, low center of gravity, electronically controlled mounts for the engine and the gearbox. The engine is mounted more the rear, while the gearbox sits on the rear axle, giving the car better agility, and a weight distribution towards the rear, (53% of the mass goes the rear axle, while 47% to the front). The car has an electronic differential mounted on the rear axle. An impressive feature about the car, is the hydraulic steering, which makes more car and less computer of it, to give that sensation of control of the driver, instead of all the electronics doing the job for him, and the result is more controllable, less nervous steering than the SLS.

With only have price of the old SLS, The AMG GT S stands well on its feet, and is here to beat all its competitors, there is maybe a black series edition coming, and who knows what would it be able of

 

2015 Ford Mustang

Lovers of the Ford Mustang, cheer up, there is a new One coming, you have just to wait for the Paris Auto Show. It is the 6th generation Ford Mustang, and it comes in three powertrains variants, two of which are destined to Europe. It is a news that the Mustang will sell globally, habits were, that the American constructor sells his pony only in North America. This car comes after 50 years of the appearance of the first Mustang, and after that more than 9 million units were made.

As we mentionned above, the car comes with 3 powertrains variants, an EcoBoost version, a V6 version and a V8.

The Eco Boost engine :
It is a 2.3L straight four cylinders engine, fitted with a turbocharger. It is able to deliver 310 bhp @5500 Rpm and 433 Nm @3000 Rpm (320 lb-ft) of torque, Ford says that it was achieved using octane 93. This engine is more powerful, more efficient than the 4.6L V8 engine, that came with the 2005 Ford Mustang GT. It is a direct injection petrol engine. The Eco Boost launches the car from stop to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds, and tops 233 km/h.

A V6 Engine :
This is the base engine for the Ford Mustang, it is a 3.7L V6, that produces 300 bhp and 400Nm(270 lb-ft) of torque. What makes this engine special, it is the fact that it is the first engine to introduce twin independant variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) the ‘stangs. It is a technology that offers precise timing, controls air admission and exhaust from the engine, as well as the fuel intake. In addition, it improves the maximum power, and low-speed torque in overtaking and merging situations. It helps getting a more efficient engine.

a V8 GT engine:
and this is the biggest piece of cake that Mustang offers. It is a petrol engine too, direct injection. It was revised. It uses the Ti-VCT technology as well. Newer items were fitted to the V8 engine, such as larger intake and exhaust valves, newer intake and exhaust camshaft with increased lift, new cylinder heads with revised high-flow ports. The result is 435 bhp @6500 Rpm and 524 Nm @4250 Rpm. The car goes from 0 to 100 in 4.5 second and tops only 250 km/h. Not quite impressive, because if you want to get in the European market, there is a ferocious competition on power, top speed, acceleration. Ford needs to work a lot more if they want to succeed, because, besides aesthetics and name, there is power, and power matters.
in this link you’ll find more about the new V8 engine.

Power is transmitted from the engine to the rear wheel via two-option transmission, a Getrag 6-speed manual and a Ford 6-speed automatic. They are both double-clutch paddle-shift transmissions. A new technology that may interest people, is the ability to choose rear-end gear ratios. The manual transmission comes with a new shift linkage, it allows a more precise, faster shifting. A limited skip differential is mounted on the rear wheels axle.

On the outside, it is back to the basics, the Mustang is not a coupe no more, but a fastback, it got back to the older grille proportions. The car is 3 cm lower than the older model, it is longer too. It has a more aggressive, sportier look. But it did not forget that it was a Mustang, therefore, you can recognize it as a Mustang, from the middle grille, the lights, even with their new shape, and the running horse logo of course. There is a convertible version that is expected in the few coming days. To make the car more secure, Ford used high elastic limit steel for the car structure.

In the inside, Ford made a few changes, now the car is more spacious, for the front passenger, because of a reduction in the dash volume. It has a horizontal piece of real aluminium on the dashboard. It is fitted with sport seats. Now the car has a new steering wheel. Gear changes can be made through paddles or via a shift lever, which was moved closer to the driver, and the cup holder was translated a bit the middle. The driver can control his phone, navigation system, air conditioning with the SYNC2 system. He can also chose between various driving modes : Snow/wet, Sport or Track mode, and according to each mode, the car changes its steering efforts, engine response, stability control. The GT model includes Track apps : an accelerometer, a launch control, performance timers, line clock… Ford claims that this is the most premium interior that was fitted to a Mustang. One noticeable feature is that the car has now 8 airbags instead of only 4, with one made for the front passenger knees.  The only problem with the interior is the rear seats space, it is only suitable for a child, not an adult, it feels crowded, so Ford needs to work on that.

Ford did not stop there, but went a bit further. The car has now an independent rear monotube suspension that replaces the solid rear axle. It is well calibrated, to give a better driving. The car has now a wider rear track, a stiffer front sub-frame. The front axle is made by McPherson. As far as the brakes are concerned, the Mustang is fitted with 4 cylinder larger brakes for the Eco Boost, and a 6 piston eve larger brakes for the GT model. The car is heavier though, 50kg heavier than the old model, and up to 200kg than its concurrents on Europe.

Price estimated at 35000€ for the Eco Boost, and 40000€ for the GT version. We have to wait until 2015 to see it commercialized in Europe

Source : Ford

Mercedes AMG GT

Mercedes spent a good part of a year teasing its fans about a new model, a new raging elegant toy, the Mercedes AMG GT. The Porsche 911 direct rival, and the replacement to the SLS AMG. AMG calls it the epitome of dynamic perfection, and as a first look, the dynamism, and the sportiness are clear on the car general shape.

As you all see, the car has lost the Benz name to the AMG. It is the second car to be fully made by AMG, the first one being the SLS AMG. A bit of history, in 1954, the world opened his eyes to the Gullwing SL 300 (W198). 50 years later, when Mercedes had 40% of McLaren, the two automotive giants made the McLaren Mercedes SLR. Then in 2009, the All AMG car, the SLS who produced 571 from its 6.2L V8. After that, Mercedes made the SLS Black Series, who produced a staggering 631 poneys. The last one to carry the SLS name was the SLS electric drive, who had four electric engines that produce 740 bhp, same as Michael Schumacher F1 car. A year after that the last SLS was produced, Mercedes unveiled the AMG GT. A car that combines sportiness with elegance. The AMG GT was based on the SLS, and has many of its features, but has lost some too. First of, it doesn’t have the famous Gullwing doors, but normal coupe doors. It is more compact, more 911 looking. It is wider, it has wider wheels arches, and a lower body work, thus a lower center of gravity. It has the same long hood though, the same angry look, well Mercedes used newer technology, but the car still looks angry.

The car is powered, and this is where Mercedes made the miracle, by a 4.0L V8. It has two turbochargers, that are installed inside the V, it is the same technology used in Formula 1 engines, and what Mercedes calls “Hot inside V”. The turbocharger acts faster while it is mounted inside the engine. The powertrain produces 462 bhp and 443 lb.ft of torque. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a transaxle AMG DCT 7-speed double-clutch  transmission. The fastback shape of the car, made Mercedes AMG engineers choose a front mid-engine settings. The car has limited-slip electronic differential. Weight balance is 47 front to 53 to the rear. The car has a lower center of gravity, which gives it exceptional handling.

The body is designed by racers, tested by racers. The AMG GT has a handcrafted body, from aluminium and carbon. The chassis and the body are made entirely from aluminium which makes the car lightweight. The body shell weighs only 233 kg. The car has the innovative Mercedes lines, in its grille, vents, overall shape, it follows the same lines Mercedes put to its cars. The lower air intakes look like those on the E63 AMG. The Lights, are similar to the S class coupe. So you can say, that it is a mixture, a son to all it is previous fathers.

As far as the interior is concerned, the car is comfortable, homey, welcoming, desirable to drive with all its features. Even though AMG’s were known to be stiff, and hard, designers made it to be a racing driver’s car. It gives you this impression, from the first moment you open the door.  It has a low sitting position, a small firm driving wheels, a large instrument cluster. It all looks like an “aviation cockpit”.

The car is said to consume only 9.3L to the 100km and produce 219g of CO2/km. It is announced to be worth 115000€ as an opening price.
Its direct competitors are the Porsche 911, the Jaguar F type, The Aston Martin Vantage V8, Audi R8…

Sources : Topgear.com ; Gtspirit.com ; Mercedes-AMG.com ; caranddriver.com ; tf1.fr